COVINGTON, La. (WGNO) — Former Slidell priest, 55-year-old Patrick Wattigny, pled guilty as charged to two counts of molestation of a juvenile by virtue of a position of control or supervision over the juvenile.
Judge John Keller sentenced him to 15 years in prison on each count to run concurrently with ten of the years suspended. The judge also sentenced Wattigny to an additional five years of probation, sex offender registration, and notification and a “no contact” order with respect to the victims. Ultimately, he will serve five years in prison.
The district attorney’s office did not agree to any concessions, the court had the sole discretion in the sentencing.
Wattigny, a former pastor at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church and a chaplain at Pope John Paul II High School, both in Slidell, was charged in 2020 when a victim came forward to report that when he was 15, he was molested by Wattigny. A second victim came forward in 2022 and reported that when he was nine-years old, he was also molested by Wattigny.
At the sentencing, one of the victims read his impact statement that said that “Father Pat” was grooming him. He wanted him to be an altar boy and would give him baseball cards. He saw Wattigny as a friend. He said that the former priest said he’d “go to hell” if he told anyone about the molestation.
The victim also said that his was childhood stolen, and he was traumatized throughout his life and contemplated suicide. In his final statement to the former priest, he looked directly at him and said, “You are not God, you will never control me again.”
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