Former Lafayette Diocese priest Michael Guidry sentenced to 7 years for abusing altar boy

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By Ben Myers
bmyers@theadvocate.com
A former priest in the Lafayette Diocese was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison after pleading guilty last month to sexually abusing a 16-year-old altar boy four years ago.
Michael Guidry, the 76-year-old former pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Morrow, confessed to the crime in June, after Bishop Douglas Deshotel announced the allegation. As part of his plea deal, Guidry was required to stay in Acadia Parish until his sentencing, turn over his passport and be placed on the sex offender registry.
Guidry faced a maximum of 10 years in prison. Judge Alonzo Harris of the 27th Judicial District Court in Opelousas imposed the maximum, including three years of probation. Harris also ordered Guidry to complete treatment for sex offenders.
The victim, Oliver Peyton, accused Guidry in a related civil case of plying him with alcohol on several occasions in 2015 as the boy performed chores at Guidry’s house. The victim claimed he woke up at Guidry’s home on one occasion to find the priest molesting him after serving him pure gin.
The Advocate does not typically identify victims of sex crimes. In this case, the victim is named as a plaintiff in a pending civil case, and his name was used Tuesday in open court testimony.
Peyton’s family sued Guidry and the diocese in August, claiming that a diocesan official said they would discontinue therapy for the victim and his family should they file suit. The family’s attorney also provided a letter from the diocese acknowledging there was a luncheon held in honor of Guidry after the allegations were reported.
Guidry was most recently pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Morrow. He also served at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in New Iberia from 1999-2004, St. Joseph Church in Patterson from 1990-1997, St. Anthony Church in Krotz Springs in 1989 and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Church Point in 1988.
Peyton’s parents and his older brother, Alex Peyton, provided emotional testimony Tuesday in urging the judge to impose the maximum sentence. They said Guidry initiated a close personal relationship when they started attending the church in Morrow, with him frequently visiting their home and vice versa.
Oliver Peyton kept the abuse secret for three years, they said, as the family continued to socialize with and receive guidance from Guidry. The abuse occurred on “the very couch that I received spiritual direction,” said Scott Peyton, who is Oliver’s father and serves as a deacon.
The Peytons further accused Guidry of recanting his admission in private conversations with fellow parishioners, sowing discord in a small community. Peyton’s mother, Letitia Payton, said they no longer feel comfortable shopping at their grocery store.
Letitia Payton she does not know what to do with old family pictures that include Guidry.
“Those are supposed to be treasures of our Catholic faith,” she said. “You stole all of that from us.”
A Lafayette clinical psychologist, Larry Benoit, testified that Guidry has been attending group therapy sessions for sex offenders that Benoit runs since February. The treatment program is supposed to take two years, Benoit said. He said Guidry’s age and lack of prior convictions make him a low risk for reoffending.
Guidry’s attorney, Kevin Stockstill, asked the judge to consider Guidry’s guilty plea and letters of recommendation from the community, as well as Guidry’s age. Harris read aloud portions of four letters asking for leniency, but ultimately concluded that “there are certain things in life we just can’t tolerate,” referring to priest abuse of children.
“If you cannot trust a man of God for spiritual guidance, who can you trust?” Harris said.
Guidry offered a short verbal apology that appeared to have little effect on his sentencing and on the Peyton family’s feelings toward him.
“I know what I did was wrong. I am sorry for the pain I caused Oliver and his family,” Guidry said, adding that he was speaking from “the heart.”
Speaking after the hearing, Scott Peyton called the apology “shallow,” and Letitia Peyton said it felt “not very well thought out, unemotional.”
“He didn’t even face my son,” Letitia Peyton said.
Guidry’s sentencing comes less than three weeks after the Lafayette Diocese released a list of 33 priests, including Guidry, and four deacons who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.
The family’s attorney in the civil case, Anthony Fontana, broadened the complaint to accuse the church of fostering an abusive culture among its clergy. Fontana is seeking the personnel records of Guidry and other priests, but the diocese has moved to block the production of these records with a protective order.
“What I’m going after is the Catholic Church,” Fontana said. “They have created an atmosphere and an expectation of being protected by the church.”
Scott Peyton said before the sentencing hearing he hopes the expanded scope of the civil hearing suit will encourage more victims to step forward. The family’s decision to file a lawsuit, and to identify themselves in the process, stemmed from the diocese’s handling of the allegations, he said.
Deshotel effectively outed the family by publicly stating the accuser’s family had moved to a church in Ville Platte when announcing the allegations last year, when it was common knowledge in their community the Peytons had made such a move, Scott Peyton said. The family then attempted to settle, he said, but those talks failed.
“This whole thing has been perpetuated by silence,” Peyton said, referring to the 30-plus-year priest abuse scandal that originated in the Lafayette Diocese. “We felt we have a story to tell.”