Patrick Wattigny Behind Bars
A Catholic priest accused of molesting an underage boy in Slidell is now behind bars in St. Tammany after being extradited from Georgia.
Patrick Wattigny arrived at the Covington lockup Monday, cuffed at the waist and donning bermuda shorts and loafers after a five-hour drive from the Troup County jail in western Georgia. He was arrested Thursday as a fugitive from St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputies, who had secured a warrant for his arrest on four counts of molestation of a juvenile.
According to the arrest report, officers in West Point, Georgia, received a call at 7 p.m. Thursday saying authorities believed Wattigny was in their jurisdiction. Seven minutes later, they met the priest at the door of a house he owns there and placed him in handcuffs.