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Police: 88-Year-Old Priest Arrested, Charged With Sexually Assaulting Boy In 2001

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Allegheny County Police say they have arrested and charged a Munhall priest accused of sexual assaulting a minor in 2001.

Fr. Hugh Lang, 88, is charged with aggravated indecent assault, unlawful contact with minors, sexual abuse of children, corruption of minors, indecent assault, and indecent exposure.

hugh lang
(Photo Credit: Diocese of Pittsburgh)

Investigators say the assault happened in June of 2001 when Fr. Lang was a priest at St. Therese of Lisieux in Munhall. The alleged victim was 10 years old at the time.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim says when he was training for altar service, Lang would separate him from the other boys and take him into a CCD room in the church's basement.

The victim says Lang would then lock the door, tell the victim he was a troublemaker and instruct the victim to take off his clothes.

Lang is accused of taking pictures of the victim while he was naked, groping the victim and forcing the victim to perform sex acts before sending him back to altar service training.

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Police say they began investigating after the victim called the state Attorney General's hotline following the release last year of the grand jury report into sexual abuse in Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses.

The complaint was forwarded to the Childline program and then handed over to Allegheny County Police.

Fr. Lang turned himself in to police and has been arraigned.

Police say the victim is a professional now living in another country.

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