Linda Harris
STEUBENVILLE A Franciscan friar under indictment for the alleged rape of a woman he counseled nearly a decade ago pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Ohio’s Jefferson County Common Pleas Court.
The Rev. David R. Morrier indicted April 7 on charges of rape and two counts of sexual battery of a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville made his initial appearance in front of Judge Joseph Bruzzeze.
Because he appeared voluntarily, Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said Morrier, 59, was entitled to be released on his own recognizance.
The indictment alleged Morrier, ordained into the Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance in 1997, used his position as the woman’s counselor to make her believe that engaging in sexual activity with him would help with her mental health issues.
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Apr 17, 2021
MAKING THE CASE â Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District Board Chairman Mark Nelson and Projects Manager Aaron Dodds were introduced to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine by state Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville, and presented him with information about the eastern hellbender and a property in Jefferson County that is home to the animal the district wants to preserve during his visit to Steubenville on Monday. Permission from the general assembly for DeWine to transfer the property from the state to the district was included in House Bill 74, putting the proposal on the governor s desk.
By ANDREW GRIMM
Staff writer
STEUBENVILLE The Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation district went through a long road to get a proposal to take over a piece of land and protect the eastern hellbender on the governor’s desk.
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Ohio Priest Accused Of Raping Student, Convinced Her Sex Will Improve Mental Health
KEY POINTS
David Morrier was a priest at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio when he allegedly raped the student
He convinced the victim that engaging in sexual acts would help with her mental health issues, officials say
Loretto-based Franciscan Friars said Morrier was dismissed in 2015 for allegations of sexual misconduct
A former priest from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday to allegations that he raped a student from November 2010 to spring 2013.
David Morrier, 59, who was a friar of the Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance, entered a not guilty plea to one count of rape and two counts of sexual battery before a Jefferson County, Ohio, grand jury, WTRF reported. The charges stemmed from a complaint reported in 2018 to the Catholic Diocese of Steubenville by the alleg