Central Florida priest named in grand jury report exposing sexual abuse

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Another Central Florida priest has been mentioned in a Pennsylvania grand jury report that names more than 300 predator priests accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children.

Father Donald Bolton lived at the Alphonsus Villa, a retirement home for priests in New Smyrna Beach, from 1990-2003.

According to the report, the first of several documented allegations against him surfaced four years before he moved to Central Florida.

The priest in charge at the Alphonsus Villa said the retirement home is for physically ill priests who are part of the Redemptorist order.

Most of the priests living there are not assigned to a church or school, but according to the report, the Redemptorists continued to place Bolton in ministry until his death in 2006.

According to the report, both the order and the diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania first heard of an allegation against Bolton in 1986 when a 7-year-old girl claimed he molested her.

Bolton pleaded guilty and got three years of probation.

Another victim came forward in 1993 and said that in 1976, Bolton came to her house to console her family after the death of a grandparent. She said Bolton held her on his lap and rubbed her back, legs and bottom.

Watch: Attorney says more people are coming forward claiming abuse by Catholic priests

The victim was 7 years old at the time.

She said the abuse continued until she was 11 years old and included inappropriate encounters in the confession booth.

At least six other victims accused Bolton after that, including a man who said he first approached Bolton about being an altar boy when he was in the fourth grade.

In an email sent to Channel 9 Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Orlando Diocese said it was unaware of Bolton's past before he moved to Central Florida.

She said Bolton was not officially appointed to serve at a diocese church or school, but had the authority to serve mass at a Lake County church.

She said the diocese has no record of any complaints against Bolton after he moved to Central Florida.

Earlier this month another priest, who went on to work at Walt Disney World, was named in the grand jury report.

The Rev. Edward George Ganster was accused of abusing three boys in the 1970s.

He left the clergy in 1990 and was sent to a hospital for troubled priests and nuns.

The church then recommended Ganster for a job at Disney.

He died in 2014.

Cox Media Group