Father Paige Blakely
Diocese of Orlando
Ordained: Unknown
Removed: 2011
Assignment History:
- St. Ann's Catholic Church (DeBary, FL)
- Catholic Church of the Epiphany (Port Orange, FL)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Paige Blakely:
In 2018, Fr. Paige Blakely, a retired Catholic priest of The Diocese of Orlando, was arrested for engaging in public sex acts at Sleepy Hollow Park in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Blakely was one of eight men arrested as part of a sting operation by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office after numerous public complaints about men engaging in various sex acts at two public parks.
In 2011, Fr. Blakely was among six men charged in a sex sting in a restroom at Ross Point Park in Holly. Blakely had exposed himself to an undercover cop and allegedly told him he was "trying to experience what it was like" and that he was trying to get a "thrill" at the same time, police said. According to his charging affidavit, he also referred to "cruising," a term men use when looking for gay sex.
In response to the 2011 arrest for indecent exposure, the Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando barred Blakely from functioning as a priest, pending the legal outcome of the criminal case against him. His faculties to serve a priest were later permanently removed by the Bishop. Paige Blakely had also previously served at the Catholic Church of the Epiphany in Port Orange.
According to the incident report for the more recent arrest, Blakely approached an undercover deputy in the afternoon at Sleepy Hollow Park, walked down the trail with him, and pulled down his pants, exposing himself. That's when the deputy arrested him, according to the report. The deputy said Blakely was searched, and a condom was discovered inside one of his pants pockets.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Orlando in Florida. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in Florida, contact our office today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Florida and nationwide. We can help.
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