Father Michael LaMountain
Archdiocese of Baltimore/Providence
Ordained: 1976
Leave: 1995
Died: 2010
Assignment History:
- 1972-1976: Seminarian
- 1974-1976: Most Precious Blood (Baltimore, MD)
- 1976-1983: St. Kevin's (Warwick, RI)
- 1983-1986: St, Joseph's (Woonsocket, RI)
- 1986-1995: St. John's (West Warwick, RI)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Michael LaMountain:
Fr. Michael LaMountain was ordained a Catholic priest and worked in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland, and Providence, Rhode Island. In 2002, Fr. LaMountain was listed on the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of Minors list. In April 2023, Maryland's Attorney General released a report alleging 156 Catholic clergy members sexually abused at least 600 children over six decades. The report lists the names of the abusers, including Father Michael LaMountain.
According to the Attorney General's report, after completing his studies at St. Mary's Seminary, LaMountain returned to the Diocese of Providence, where he served as the pastor of two large parishes from 1976-1995. In 1995, allegations of sexual abuse were made against LaMountain, and he was placed on an indefinite leave of absence. In 1997, La Mountain was criminally charged with the sexual abuse of five boys. LaMountain sexually abused altar boys at his home in Burrillville and in parishes in Warwick and West Warwick in Rhode Island
According to Bishop Accountability, in 1999, Fr. LaMountain apologized to his victims in court and admitted to sexually assaulting five boys from the 1970s to the 1990s. LaMountain entered guilty pleas on six counts of first-degree sexual assault, one count of second-degree sexual assault, and one count of second-degree child molestation. After hearing from two of LaMountain's victims, who asked LaMountain to "get help," the Judge accepted a plea agreement and sentenced LaMountain to nine 12-year suspended sentences to run concurrently.
In 2001, a man reported that LaMountain sexually abused him for two years, beginning in 1972 when he was in the 7th grade. The boy met Fr. LaMountain at Most Precious Blood in Baltimore, where LaMountain volunteered. The victim reported that LaMountain drank beer in the rectory and fondled him while masturbating in the basement at the seminary and in Rhode Island when he visited LaMountain for his ordination. The victim reported the sexual abuse in 1993 to the Baltimore police, and a criminal investigation took place, but LaMountain was not charged. He also provided the names of other possible victims. The archdiocese told the Independent Child Abuse Review Board in 2002 that their meeting files and the files of the Diocese of Providence confirmed that the matter had been reported in 1993, but nothing was ever verified.
In 2002, the mother of one of the boys named by the first victim reported that her son spent time with LaMountain and another seminarian, Vernon Dahmen, in the mid-1970s when he was 14 years old. She reported that she heard her son tell his sister, "Those seminarians are weird, stay away from them." (Dahmen was listed as credibly accused by the Archdiocese of Mobile because of sexual child abuse in the mid-1970s to early-1980s). The boy's mother worked at Most Precious Blood from 1974 to 1980 and became friendly with LaMountain and Dahmen, who spent time there. Her son had regular contact with both at the rectory and at his home. When they returned to their home states, both men stayed in contact with her son and occasionally visited him. Her son went to both ordinations in their home states, specifically to Rhode Island for LaMountain and Alabama for Dahmen, and stayed overnight in a hotel. Sadly, her son died before 2002.
The Archdiocese notified the Diocese of Providence, and according to notes of that conversation, the Vicar General said LaMountain had been on leave of absence for quite a while "because of some 'complaints'." Two other men have since sued the Diocese of Providence due to sexual abuse by Fr. LaMountain. That is when the Archdiocese of Baltimore heard about LaMountain's criminal charges.
LaMountain died in 2010.
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