GATE CITY, Va. — A former East Tennessee priest accused of molesting a young boy more than 30 years ago had his trial date postponed to September during a hearing Monday in Virginia.

The plea hearing for William Casey, 76, of Greeneville was moved to Sept. 2 in Scott County Circuit Court. Casey’s jury trial is set to begin Sept. 27 and is expected to last two days.

Casey pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in August 2010 to charges of forcible sodomy and indecent liberties with a child that stemmed from allegations he sexually assaulted a teenage boy during a trip to Natural Tunnel State Park in 1978.

Casey was originally scheduled to stand trial in Scott County on those charges July 14, but his defense attorney asked for a continuance since the former priest is scheduled to appear in Sullivan County (Tenn.) Criminal Court the same week on similar charges.

Scott County Commonwealth’s Attorney Marcus McClung did not object or agree to the delay, but said he did believe it would be better for the Sullivan County trial to take place first since most of the allegations against Casey reportedly happened there.

“We have kind of deferred to Kingsport,” McClung said. “The majority of the allegations occurred there, and it just makes more sense to try it first in Kingsport.”

Casey was indicted in both Scott and Sullivan counties after Warren Tucker, 44, of Jeffersonville, Ind., filed criminal complaints against him in early 2010.

In addition to the incident at Natural Tunnel, Tucker alleges Casey molested him on numerous occasions in Sullivan and Greene counties in Tennessee and again on a trip to North Carolina.

Casey pleaded not guilty in October 2010 in Sullivan County Criminal Court to a single count of first-degree sexual misconduct and two counts of aggravated rape.

Tucker said the abuse took place over a period of several years in the 1970s while Casey served as priest at St. Dominic Catholic Church in Kingsport.

In July 2010, Casey pleaded guilty to a charge of a crime against nature in McDowell County, N.C., as a result of similar complaints filed there by Tucker.

The Catholic Diocese of Knoxville permanently suspended Casey from his priestly duties in April 2010 after he reportedly told Bishop Richard Stika there was “credibility” to the sexual abuse allegations made by Tucker.

Casey is currently under home electronic monitoring while he awaits trial.

Wes Bunch may be reached at wbunch@timesnews.net.

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William Casey, 76

Tri-Cities.com

Published: September 03, 2010
Updated: September 03, 2010 – 6:48 PM

By George Jackson

BLOUNTVILLE, TN –

A grand jury in Sullivan County indicted William “Bill” Casey on one count of criminal sexual conduct, and two counts of aggravated rape.

The charges stem from a complaint filed by Warren Tucker. He said Casey abused him between 1978 and 1980, when the former priest led St. Dominic’s Catholic Church in Kingsport.

Casey admitted to the Knoxville diocese that he crossed the line with a young boy during the late 70s. They removed him from the priesthood.

Sullivan is the third area county to file charges against Casey this year.

McDowell County North Carolina District Attorney Brad Greenway said Casey pled guilty to similar charges — “crimes against nature,” a felony — on July 28th. The court suspended all three years of his prison sentence, in lieu of 24 months supervised probation.

On August 2nd, Scott County Virginia indicted Casey on two charges — child sodomy, and indecent act with a child.

Scott County Circuit Court ordered Casey, 76, to wear an ankle bracelet. This week, he filed a motion to have it removed.

A filing by his attorney, Walter Rivers, said Casey is not a flight risk.

The bracelet only prevents Casey from collecting his mail, mowing the grass, and shopping for groceries, Rivers said in the motion.

Casey is scheduled to be in Scott County Circuit Court for the motion hearing on September 13th at 2 p.m.

His arraignment hearing in Sullivan County has not been set, according to Assistant District Attorney Barry Staubus.

Casey was booked in the Sullivan County jail Friday. He posted the $100,000 bond.