Colorado priest reinstated after being cleared of criminal charges
A Roman Catholic priest in Colorado who had been accused of sexual abuse has been reinstated into service by church leadership after being cleared of all criminal charges earlier this year.
The Rev. Michael O'Brien had been put on administrative leave in September 2021 after being accused of sexual assault when he served at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Aspen from 2002 to 2011.
Earlier this month, the Archdiocese of Denver announced that they were reinstating O’Brien, following a criminal investigation that found no wrongdoing and after an internal church review.
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O’Brien will return to serving St. Anthony of Padua of Julesburg and St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Crook as the pastor beginning on July 1, according to the announcement.
“I will not let irresponsible and unfounded civil lawsuits keep a good priest from ministry,” said Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, as quoted in the announcement.
“His fortitude in the face of a false accusation has been inspiring to me and to the other priests in the Archdiocese who unfortunately have to live in fear of a false charge like this impacting or even destroying their vocation and good name.”
In a letter to the congregations of St. Anthony and St. Peter’s that was quoted in the announcement, Aquila acknowledged that a lawsuit had been filed against O’Brien based on the accusations.
“I have been advised by the Review Board and by our attorneys that the lawsuit is frivolous, and the claims are spurious,” wrote the archbishop.
“The Archdiocese of Denver continues in our commitment to take all allegations of misconduct seriously, and to ensure that the safety of our children and families is and remains a priority for our Church.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Don Nottingham of the 9th Judicial District told CBS News Colorado in a statement on Saturday that the allegations against O’Brien “were thoroughly investigated by the Aspen Police Department.”
“The Office of the District Attorney for the Ninth Judicial District consulted with APD and was present for parts of the investigation. Both the D.A.'s Office and APD felt that such allegations should be investigated as thoroughly as possible, and APD did exactly that,” stated Nottingham.
“The D.A.'s Office, upon reviewing all the information available, agreed with APD that no charges should be filed related to the allegations. The D.A.'s Office is grateful to the dedicated investigators at the Aspen Police Department for taking this investigation extremely seriously and working diligently to ensure the truth was known.”
