Priest in Conroe sex abuse cases sentenced to 10 years
Phil Archer, Reporter
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“He feels remorseful. This is a sad episode that’s over,” said his attorney Wendell Odom.
The cases stem from his sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy while La Rosa Lopez served as pastor at Conroe’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the ’90s. The sentence ended an investigation that began in 2018 by Conroe Police and the Montgomery County District Attorney after the victims came forward as adults.
During the hearing, both were given the opportunity to confront their abuser.
One of them, now a 35-year-old man, recounted how being abused by La Rosa Lopez, which robbed him of his life and his religion. The victim said he turned to alcohol to dull his pain, eventually landing in prison for DWI. Then he recounted a long, slow climb to redemption, eventually becoming a counselor to other victims of abuse.