SMITHFIELD, R.I. (AP) — Police in Rhode Island arrested a retired priest and charged him with second degree child molestation.
The Smithfield police department said a woman reported that the former pastor of the Ocean State Baptist Church molested her when she was a child.
Officers arrested 75-year-old Archie Emerson on Friday and seized a computer at his home.
An attorney for Emerson says he denies the charges and is shocked by the allegations.
A judge set bail for Emerson and released him with an order not to contact the plaintiff.
His next court appearance is scheduled for October.
