Spotlight on abuse: Episcopal priest Charles Warwick

Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania city police officer Charles Warwick was suspended from his duties on July 8, 1988 after criminal charges of rape, official oppression, and indecent assault. Warwick was convicted first degree felony rape in November 1990 after going to a city residence to arrest a man for public drunkenness, and returning to the home three times until 4:00 a.m. to “check on” the man’s girlfriend. He was sentenced to 36 to 72 months of incarceration. Warwick appealed his conviction, and was acquitted in March 1992 on retrial, with defense focusing on the fact that he was not wearing his police uniform on his fourth visit to the residence, and that there were no witnesses other than the victim. The City of Wilkes-Barre hired Warwick as a business and residential electrical inspector in 2000, but fired him in June of that year because of citizen complaints that they were uncomfortable having him in their homes. Despite having no seminary education, Warwick was ordained to the diaconate by Episcopal Bishop Paul V. Marshall on November 1, 2011 and to the priesthood on May 18, 2012. He was appointed as deacon in charge of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, New Milford, Pennsylvania in November 2011. After ordination to the priesthood he was assigned to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Whitehall on April 8, 2013, a pastoral relationship which broke down after Warwick made violent outbursts at parishioners and employees who learned about his rape conviction. In 2014 he moved to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. He has been priest in charge of the Episcopal Church of St. Clement and St. Peter, Wilkes Barre, from 2021 to present. All of his clerical positions have been in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem

https://diobeth.typepad.com/diobeth_newspin/2011/12/the-rev-charlie-warwick-named-deacon-in-charge-at-st-marks-new-milford.html

https://diobeth.typepad.com/diobeth_newspin/2013/03/father-charles-c-warwick-to-serve-in-whitehall.html