(SALINA, Kan.) — A 49-year-old priest with the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina entered a not guilty plea to sexual battery. Father Allen Scheer appeared in court Friday.
Salina police say Father Scheer turned himself in on April 18. An adult male says Father Scheer inappropriately touched him on April 11. Police say the alleged incident happened at the victim's residence in Salina and the two are acquaintances.
"I’ve been around him a lot, I’ve never seen him say or do that would lead me to believe that he’s capable of the alleged offense," says parishioner and former Salina mayor Alan Jilka. "I for one am not going to rush to judgment."
Scheer presided over the parish since the summer of 2005.
The Catholic Diocese of Salina says Scheer is on administrative leave.
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Catholic Diocese of Salina statement on arrest:
"Yesterday, Father Allen Scheer was charged with a misdemeanor for inappropriate sexual conduct with an adult in Salina. The Diocese will fully cooperate with the investigation conducted by local law enforcement, and Father Allen Scheer has been placed on administrative leave.
