Former Catholic priest Mark Broussard, charged with 10 counts of child sex abuse, pleaded not guilty Monday.
Broussard, 56, didn’t speak during a
short hearing in which he was arraigned on two counts of aggravated
rape; three counts
of molestation of a juvenile; two counts of aggravated oral sexual
battery; two counts of aggravated sexual battery; and one
count of sexual battery.
His attorney, Tom Lorenzi, entered the plea on his behalf. Broussard is set to go to trial Feb. 4.
Broussard served at Our Lady Queen of
Heaven from 1986 to 1988 and at St. Henry from 1988 to 1992. The abuse
is alleged to
have occurred at both churches. Broussard is accused of abusing
three boys between 9 and 13 years old between 1986 and 1991.
After leaving St. Henry, he served at St. Eugene in Grand Chenier until he left the priesthood in 1994.
Broussard has 224 charges against him, but the District Attorney’s Office combined those into 10 charges that encompassed
all the crimes he was accused of and took those to the grand jury.
He is being held on $3.42 million bond at Calcasieu Correctional Center.