Brian Patrick Werth, a former youth minister for St. Elizabeth Parish in Rockville, was arrested by Montgomery County Police on Sept. 7 and charged with one count of fourth-degree sexual offense, one count of sexual abuse of a minor, and second degree assault. The 32-year-old Montgomery Village resident was arrested after detectives had investigated allegations of sexual abuse of a teenage St. Elizabeth parishioner.
The county’s Child Protective Services department notified detectives in late August of allegations that Werth had inappropriate sexual contact with a 16-year-old female parishioner during a youth event at the church in May. A police statement said that detectives learned that Werth had been texting the teenager for the past two years, “and that the texts Werth sent to the victim were graphic and sexual in nature.”
On the day the suspect was arrested, the Archdiocese of Washington issued a statement noting that the pastor of St. Elizabeth Parish had received a complaint regarding a case of alleged child sex abuse by Werth. The statement noted that the pastor immediately contacted the archdiocese’s Child and Youth Protection Office, which reported the case to Montgomery County law enforcement. In compliance with the archdiocese’s Child Protection Policy, Werth was immediately suspended from his duties at the parish and school, and his employment has since been terminated.
Meetings have been scheduled with parish and school staff, and letters have been sent to parish and school families to brief them on this matter.
“The Archdiocese of Washington takes seriously its responsibility to the children entrusted to its care,” the archdiocese’s statement said, noting that its Child Protection Policy of the Archdiocese of Washington mandates criminal background checks, applications and education for all employees and volunteers who work with young people. Werth had cleared the background check and accompanying requirements.
The archdiocese’s Child Protection Policy requires immediate reporting of suspected abuse to the authorities and an employee’s/volunteer’s immediate removal from work or ministry following a credible allegation, which the archdiocese said was done in Werth’s case.
The archdiocese’s Child Protection Policy, which has been in place since 1986, is publicly available online at www.adw.org. If people become aware of improper conduct by a person involved in archdiocesan ministry, they are urged to contact the director of the archdiocese’s Office of Child and Youth Protection, Courtney Chase, at 301-853-5302.
The Montgomery County Police news release said that investigators believe there may be additional victims who have not come forward. Anyone with information regarding inappropriate contact involving Werth is urged to contact the police department’s Special Investigations Division at 240-773-5400.
