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ALBANY, NY: Delmar Episcopal priest accused of video-taking woman in changing room
Fr. Adam Egan faces felony charges
Albany Episcopal Bishop suspends priest from all ecclesiastical duties
By David W. Virtue DD
www.virtueonline.org
December 29, 2015
The Rev. Adam Egan, 35, Episcopal priest of St. Stephen Episcopal Church in Delmar, faces felony charges after Colonie police say he was caught taking video of a woman changing clothes inside a dressing room at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Latham.
He has been charged with Unlawful Surveillance and Tampering with Physical Evidence arising from the incident.
Albany Episcopal Bishop William H. Love noted the arrest "with great sadness" and said he had met and prayed with Fr. Egan. "Due to the serious nature of the offense with which he has been charged, as the Bishop Diocesan, I have placed Fr. Egan on indefinite Administrative Leave, during which time he is not to function in any capacity as a Member of the Clergy of this Church, nor is he to wear clerical dress."
"I was immediately petrified. I felt totally violated," admitted the alleged victim who spoke to NewsChannel 13 on the phone. She asked not to be identified.
She said she was inside the changing room in her underwear when she noticed a cellphone peeking over the curtain.
"I felt like a deer caught in headlights. I wasn't believing what I was actually seeing, even though I knew what I was looking at," she recalled.
She says she immediately called police and her mother grabbed a hold of Father Egan to keep him in the store.
"I was screaming to him. I was so upset that I wanted to hurt him," she admitted.
Investigators say police caught up with him a short time later. They say he also tried to delete the video on the phone. He was charged with unlawful surveillance and tampering with evidence.
"I'm upset, hurt and angry that I'm a victim myself. But I'm glad that I was the victim that hopefully will put an end to this," she noted.
The alleged victim says she hopes she was the only victim and that Father Egan will get the help that he needs to prevent this from happening to anyone else.
Bishop Love said Fr. Egan recognizes the seriousness of the charges against him and is cooperating fully with the legal authorities. "Obviously this is a tragic incident for all involved: the person who brought the charges; Fr. Egan and his family; St. Stephen's Church; the Diocese; and the entire body of Christ. I would ask you to please keep all involved in your prayers. May the Love of Christ prevail, bringing healing to all who have been hurt and wounded by this event. It is for this very purpose that Christ came into the world."
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