A Catholic priest, who once worked in Pembroke, was found guilty last week of criminal child sex abuse in U.S. Federal Court in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Father Robert “Bob” Poandl was found guilty of federal child sex charges that he transported a 10-year-old boy from Cincinnati to Spencer, W.Va., in August 1991 where he sexually assaulted the child.
He is expected to be sentenced by the end of the year.
In addition to Pembroke, Poandl also worked six other Georgia towns: Blairsville, Dahlonga, Cleveland, Glenville, Claxton and Sand Hill.
Poandl belongs to a Fairfield, Ohio-based Catholic religious order called the Glenmary Missioners. Besides Georgia, he worked at churches and church assignments in Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi.
“We believe there are more victims of Poandl, and it’s never too late to share what you know or suspect with law enforcement officials,” Judy Jones of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said.  
“Poandl will be sentenced in approximately two months, so it is important for anyone who may have information to come forward so that he receives the appropriate sentence.”