A former priest has been arrested in St. Tammany Parish for a second time on charges of child molestation.
Patrick Wattigny surrendered to authorities today and was booked into the St. Tammany jail on one count of molestation of a juvenile.
In October 2020, Wattigny was arrested after allegations he sexually abused a minor in 2013, when he was the pastor of a Slidell-area church.
In August of this year, a second victim accused Wattigny. The sheriff's office says the accuser, now an adult, says Wattigny abused him when he was an elementary student at a Covington-area Catholic school.
"It is deeply disturbing when an individual in a position of authority uses that position to prey on the most defenseless of our population – our children," said St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith.