UPDATED::Catholic priest accused of groping woman during last rites - SFGate

UPDATE::   Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting woman during last rites pleads no contest

An Austin Catholic priest arrested after police say he assaulted a woman in hospice care has pleaded no contest to the charge he faced.

75-year-old Rev. Gerold Langsch was charged with assault by contact, class a misdemeanor. He accepted a plea deal Wednesday.

The incident allegedly happened in October 2018 when a woman was put on hospice care after suffering from several medical conditions. Police were contacted five days later, but an arrest wasn't made until early March. APD says the investigation was delayed due to complications with the woman's health. This month she was able to identify the priest in a lineup helping officers make an arrest.

A Roman Catholic priest has been arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge after he was accused of groping a woman in home hospice care while giving her last rites.

The Rev. Gerold Langsch, of Austin, was arrested Thursday and charged with assault by contact stemming from the Oct. 5 encounter. The 75-year-old priest is free on $15,000 bond. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a year in jail and fined up to $4,000.

Police contend in the arrest affidavit that the woman was in hospice care for complications from diabetes when Lansch went to her home to administer the sacrament of anointing the sick, a sacrament of absolution. The woman, who is still alive, reported that Langsch first anointed her chest with holy water, then began to apply lotion, massaging a breast, pinching a nipple and asking "Does that feel good?" He then tried to slip his hand inside her diaper but was unable to.

Catholic priest accused of groping woman during last rites - SFGate