Diocese of Greensburg calls for police investigation into possible conspiracy to hide employee's criminal history
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Diocese of Greensburg has asked law enforcement in Westmoreland County to investigate a possible conspiracy to cover up a parish employee's criminal history.
In a release on Tuesday, the diocese said a pastor has resigned and three parish employees are on paid leave amid a call from Bishop Larry Kulick for an investigation into "possible culpable negligence for actions or omissions resulting in harm or scandal."
The news release said Shon Harrity of North Huntingdon was charged on Wednesday with eight felony counts, including sexual assault of a minor. The offenses allegedly date back to 2022.
The diocese said the charges are unrelated to his job. He was an employee at Immaculate Conception Parish's cemetery in Irwin. Before that, Harrity did parish maintenance at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in North Huntingdon, the diocese said.
After his arrest, the diocese "discovered Harrity's criminal record, including guilty pleas of indecent exposure, open lewdness, obscene disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance dating back to the early 2000s."
The diocese went on to say that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish "produced a file on Harrity that included an FBI Fingerprint Check which clearly disqualified him from employment." The diocese said that the file was sent by electronic mail when Harrity transferred to Immaculate Conception Parish in 2023.
"The Safe Environment Coordinator there, however, did not flag the file. During an audit last week, it was discovered that several required clearance documents were missing from the file," the diocese's news release said.
Father John Monieau, the pastor, "previously attested to the validity of all clearances in his parishes, signing a letter to the Bishop that he personally reviewed them," the diocese said. His resignation is effective immediately.
The three parish employees are on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation, the diocese said.
In a statement, Bishop Kulick said that he is "beyond disappointed that our tireless efforts to raise the bar on safe environment training, required clearances and transparency were blatantly disregarded. This is exactly why we assign a safe environment coordinator in every parish and every school and every administrative office in the Diocese of Greensburg."
He closed by saying that he promises to "continue to be transparent about the situation moving forward and be present in the transition of pastors. In fact, on June 1, I will announce that a respected, seasoned and loved priest will assume pastoral duties for these two parishes."