A 43 year-old priest from the Diocese of Scranton has been arrested and charged with 16 counts, Sexual Abuse of Children (F2); 1 count, Sexual Abuse of Children (F3); 1 count, Criminal Use of Communication Facility (F3); and 1 count, Tampering with/or Fabricating Physical Evidence. The priest probe began in September 2008 when law enforcement officials received a letter from the Diocese of Scranton concerning an anonymous letter they had received. The letter contained information concerning an email address that contained explicit photographs of young boys.
The police traced the email address back to Rev. Robert Timchak, an active priest serving in the Diocese of Scranton Pennsylvania. The arrest of Timchak comes approximately one month after a Canadian bishop was arrested and charged with similar offenses. Bishop Raymond Lahey, formerly of the Nova Scotian Diocese of Antigonish, resigned his position as bishop immediately before turning himself in to Canadian law enforcement authorities.