The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was originally a part of St. Augustine and the then-Diocese of Mobile, before splitting off in 1975 to become the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee serves around 80,000 Catholics in 18 counties in the northwestern part of Florida, is considered a “dual see” diocese, which means its bishop governs from two centers, Pensacola and Tallahassee.
Numerous victims of child sexual abuse have come forward with allegations against priests serving in the diocese. In 1996, Vijay Bhasker Godugunuru, a priest from the Diocese of Cuddapah in India, was visiting friends and helping at a parish in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee when a 16-year-old girl accused him of sexually assaulting her.
Authorities charged Godugunuru with the second-degree felony of lewd and lascivious battery against a minor, and he later pled guilty to aggravated assault. Rather than serving time in prison, the diocese sent him back to India, so in 2018, the girl’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the diocese.
In 1997, the church removed priest Richard Castillo after a parishioner accused him of molesting him when he was a teenager. Two Tallahassee brothers also claimed that the priest molested them, but that the church ignored their complaints. According to the allegations against Castillo, in 1989, teenage boys would often spend time at Castillo’s rented beachfront house, where Castillo gave the boys beer even though they were underaged.
One of these boys got drunk one night and awoke to Castillo molesting him. In 1996, the boy’s parents complained to then-bishop John Ricard, who responded by offering the family verbal support and counseling. Rather than removing him from the diocese, Ricard simply promised the parents that Castillo would not abuse more boys. The church agreed to provide ongoing therapy for the family, only after they agreed not to file a lawsuit against the church. Castillo was never charged criminally because the statute of limitations had run out.
In 2002, priest Thomas Anthony Crandall was arrested for dealing drugs and stealing parish money and was sentenced to 51 months in prison by a federal court. While he was on probation, he was charged with child pornography. He was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to ten years in prison, only to serve nine of those years and be released in 2015.
In 2018, the diocese removed priest Edward Jones from his assignments as pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Crawfordville and Sacred Heart Parish in Lanark after a former parishioner alleged that Jones molested her when she was a teenager in 2004. Jones was serving at the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Tallahassee when the abuse happened. Authorities opened a criminal investigation after the allegations surfaced, but no charges have been filed.
After a two-year investigation into clergy abuse in Florida, the Florida State Attorney General issued a report naming priests in all seven dioceses who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse. The report listed the following priests who served at any time in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee: Vijay Bhasker Godugunuru, Lawrence Boucher, Richard Bowles, Richard Castillo, Michael Cherup, Thomas Crandall, Samuel Curry, Jonathan Franklin, Edward Jungquist, David McCreanor, James Bluett, Philip Halstead, Todd Hevia, Eddie Jones, Sebastian Naslund, Timothy Pathe, Louis Reczek, Arthur Terminello, and Michael Wever.
The cases that happened in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee are reflective of the overall cover up that happened within the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world and the United States. The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was supposed to protect its members. Instead, it covered up instances of sexual abuse and allowed predators to prey on the children within the church.
Children who were sexually abused while in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee deserve to seek justice. If a clergy member sexually abused you or a family member while at the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, contact the sexual abuse lawyers at Herman Law today for a free case evaluation where we will explain your legal rights and whether or not you can pursue a claim.
- Fr. Vijaya Bhaskar Godugunuru
- Fr. James Bluett
- Fr. Richard Castillo
- Fr. Michael A. Cherup, Jr.
- Fr. Thomas Anthony Crandall
- Fr. Philip E. Halstead
- Fr. Todd O. Hevia
- Fr. Edward T. Jones
- Fr. David McCreanor
- Fr. Sebastian C. Naslund
- Fr. Timothy Pathe
- Fr. Louis J. Reczek
- Fr. Arthur Terminello
- Fr. Michael Wever