Charlotte County priest bonds out of jail, must turn himself into Iowa authorities
Father Leo Riley, a Port Charlotte priest, is facing charges in Dubuque, Iowa
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Father Leo Riley, a local priest facing charges in Dubuque, Iowa, has bonded out of jail in Charlotte County. Part of the conditions of his release on bond is that he must return to Iowa to face charges.
Detectives from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Major Case Unit worked with the Dubuque, Iowa Police Department to arrest Leo P. Riley at his Port Charlotte home last Wednesday.
The Dubuque Police Department had developed probable cause for five counts of capital sexual battery within their jurisdiction.
Riley was a past priest at the Resurrection Church in Dubuque, Iowa. In Charlotte County, he was a Priest at Saint Charles Borromeo in Port Charlotte in the early 2000s, and is currently assigned to San Antonio Catholic Church, also in Port Charlotte.
Following the revelation of the charges in Iowa, a former student at Saint Charles Borromeo school in Port Charlotte came forward to accused Riley of sexual abuse in the early 2000s. Riley was placed on administrative leave from the Diocese of Venice in 2023.
Riley’s first appearance was in Charlotte County happened last Friday morning where he was granted a bond of $100,000 and was told he must turn himself in to authorities in Iowa.
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