Father Robert Poandl
Diocese of Harrisburg
Ordained:1968
Died: 2019
Assigned as Follows:
- 1968-1973 St. Francis (Aberdeen, MS) St. Helen’s (Armory, MS) Immaculate Heart of Mary (Houston, MS) St. Theresa’s (Okolona, MS) Christ the King (Fulton, MS)
- 1973-1974 St. Jude’s (Mifflintown, PA) Our Lady of Refuge (Doylesburg, PA)
- 1974-1975 Glenmary House of Studies (New Orleans, LA)
- 1975-1979 Motherhouse of Glenmary Home Missions (Fairfield, OH)
- 1979-1981 St. Luke’s (Dahlonega, GA) St. Paul the Apostle (Cleveland, GA) St. Francis of Assisi (Blairsville, GA) U.S. Ranger Camp (Dahlonega, GA)
- 1981-1988 St. Francis of Assisi (Blairsville, GA) St. Paul the Apostle (Cleveland, GA)
- 1988-1994 Headquarters of Glenmary Home Missioners (Fairfield, OH)
- 1994-1999 Holy Cross (Pittsburg, TX)
- 1999-2003 Immaculate Conception (Hugo, OK) St. Jude (Boswell, OK)
- 2003-2007 Headquarters of Glenmary Home Missioners (Fairfield, OH)
- 2007-2009 St. Christopher’s (Claxton, GA) St. Jude (Glenville, GA) Holy Cross (Pembroke, GA) Our Lady of Gudalupe (Sandhill, GA) Administrative Leave (Fairfield, OH)
- 2010-2012 St. Christophers (Claxton, GA) Holy Cross (Pembroke, GA) Our Lady of Guadalupe (Sandhill, GA)
- 2012-2014 Administrative Leave (Fairfield, OH)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Robert Poandl:
Father Robert Poandl was a priest of the Glenmary Home Missioners, and served most of his career in Ohio and Georgia. In 2009, Poandl was accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy from Ohio. The boy claimed that the abuse occurred on a trip to West Virginia in 1991. After a police investigation, Robert Poandl was charged with sexual abuse in Janruary 2010. The charges were then dropped in August and Poandl was returned to ministry in Georgia in September of 2010. He maintained that he was not guilty.
In November of 2012, Poandl was indicted on federal charges of transporting a minor across state lines for illicit purposes; related to the 2009 accusations that he sexually abused an Ohio boy in West Virginia. Poandl once again pleaded not guilty. He was placed on house arrest with a GPS monitoring device pending trial. Robert Poandl was then sentenced to 7.5 years in prison in February of 2014.
In 2017, Robert Poandl lost his attempt to appeal his court conviction. He had appealed his conviction for the first time in 2015, and one judge on the panel believed that Poandl did deserve a new trial. He claimed that his attorneys made mistakes during his trial, and he questioned whether any Catholic priests accused of pedophilia could recieve a fair trial in the aftermath of sexual abuse scandals that rocked the Catholic Church more than a decade ago. The appeals court was not persuaded.
Robert Poandl died in January of 2019.
Although the alleged abuse occurred in West Virginia, and the victim was from Ohio, his name has been included on at least 8 different diocese’s list of credibly accused priests and clergymen since 2018. Dioceses such as Harrisburg, Atlanta, Savannah, Wheeling-Charleston, Jackson’s, New Orleans,Tulsa, and Glenmary Missioners.
In February 2020, the Diocese of Harrisburg filed for bankruptcy protection. As part of its bankruptcy, the Diocese of Harrisburg will be reviewing and paying claims for anyone sexually abused by diocesan priests and lay employees. This will likely include claims filed on behalf of anyone whose case may be beyond the statute of limitations.
Although no allegations against Poandl occured in Pennsylvania, his name was included in the bankruptcy proceeding; falling under the category of cases where abuse was alleged to have occurred in another diocese. Robert Poandl is listed as living, but has since died in 2019.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Harrisburg and throughout Pennsylvania. The Diocese of Harrisburg filed for federal bankruptcy protection in February 2020. Anyone sexually abused by a priest or employee of the Diocese of Harrisburg may be entitled to file a claim against the Diocese in these bankruptcy proceedings, but very strict filing deadlines apply. Most victims of abuse in the Diocese of Harrisburg will never be able to take action against the Diocese of Harrisburg if they miss this bankruptcy filing deadline, so it is important that you contact us immediately to discuss your potential case.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your legal options today.