Former Pittsburgh Priest Accused Of Filming Boy In Target Bathroom
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A former priest named in the state's grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse is accused of recording a 13-year-old boy in a bathroom at the Target in East Liberty.
The victim was in the bathroom when he noticed someone was filming him through the crack in the stall, the criminal complaint said. His father flagged down a security officer, who confronted 77-year-old Paul Spisak as he was leaving the restroom.
Spisak told the officer he was "just playing Solitaire" on his phone, and the criminal complaint said Pittsburgh police arrived to catch Spisak as he was trying to drive away.
He eventually admitted to filming the boy, the criminal complaint said, and when police searched his phone, investigators said they found photos of the victim and others using the bathroom.
"That's just, like, incredible. That's stuff people shouldn't be doing, especially to kids. That's kind of nasty," said McKees Rocks resident Ebony Stevenson.
Police said they're working to get a search warrant.
Court documents list Spisak's address as Saint John Vianney Moore, a residence for retired Diocese of Pittsburgh priests.
Spisak was named in Pennsylvania's scathing grand jury report in 2018 investigating church sex abuse. He was also arrested in 2006 after recording someone in the men's bathroom at the South Hills Village mall and flushing the memory card down the toilet, according to the report.
He was removed from the ministry in 2002, the Pittsburgh Diocese said. The diocese said it was unaware of his arrest until KDKA's requests for comment. He could face removal for violating the conditions of his residency.
"I have a 13-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 7-year-old, so I would never, never want to see another child go through something like that," said Stevenson.
For the alleged incident at Target, he faces charges of invasion of privacy and child pornography.