A Worcester Diocese priest placed on leave in 2022 after allegations of sexual abuse, and later charged with indecent assault and battery, was placed on probation this week, court records show, after admitting to a lesser charge of assault and battery.
As part of his plea, the Rev. Alan J. Martineau saw two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person age 14 or older dropped in East Brookfield District Court, records show, while a third such charge was amended to assault and battery, a charge with no sexual assault component.
Martineau agreed sufficient facts existed for a finding of guilty, a legal disposition known as an Alford plea, Sept. 22, records obtained by the Telegram & Gazette show.
A judge placed him on probation for one year, ordering him to stay away from the alleged victim.
Details in the case have been sealed; the docket number for the case, if searched for electronically on the state’s court information website, indicates the case does not exist.
The T&G obtained the disposition of the case at the courthouse after speaking with a clerk’s office supervisor; staff had initially said the case was listed in the system as “restricted” and thus unavailable.
A docket provided for the case said an impoundment order had been issued multiple times, and had been extended to January. It was not clear from the docket which specific documents were subject to the impoundment order.
The Worcester Diocese announced Martineau had been placed on leave and referred to authorities in December 2022, saying it had deemed an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor to be credible.
The T&G has reached out to the diocese for comment, including on Martineau’s status with the church.
At the time he was placed on leave, in January 2022, Martineau had been administrator of St. Paul Parish and St. Stanislaus Parish in Warren.
He had formerly been associate pastor of St. Anne’s of Shrewsbury.
The T&G has requested audio from the Sept. 22 plea hearing; court staff in East Brookfield said it could take weeks to supply the audio because of staffing limitations.
The case paperwork provided at the court Sept. 26 did not provide the first and last name of Martineau’s attorney. An attempt to reach Martineau at a publicly listed telephone number was not immediately successful.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester Diocese priest accused of indecent assault reaches plea deal