WACO, Texas — A former Waco Catholic priest who was arrested in Florida this week for reportedly possessing child pornography also had illicit images of underage girls on his iCloud while in McLennan County, according to a July 5 arrest warrant by the Waco Police Department.
Father Anthony Odiong, 55, was arrested Tuesday, July 16, at his home in Ave Maria, Florida and charged with illegally possessing child abuse imagery depicting young girls. His arrest stems from the Waco PD warrant.
According to Waco Police, Detective Bradley DeLange was initially investigating complaints from at least four women who allege Odiong sexually assaulted them. One of the victims came forward on March 18, 2024 and said Odiong sexually assaulted her in 2012, launching the investigation, according to the warrant.
Police said through civil proceedings involving Odiong, they identified another victim in Luling, Louisiana, where he used to minister. When a fourth victim was identified, police obtained probable cause to search Odiong’s iCloud account. While searching the account, DeLange discovered illicit images of a young girl, which was saved to Odiong's iCloud on Sept. 27, 2020, the affidavit states.
DeLange noted in the affidavit that Odiong had access to these images while he was recently in McLennan County and Texas back in Feb. 4, 2024, allowing them to pursue charges relating to child pornography.
“While being present within this geographic area, he possessed these images in a cloud-based format that was retrievable and thus committed the offense of possession of child pornography,” the affidavit states.
The affidavit continues that Odiong possessed illicit images of a child believed to be under 10 years old.
Odiong is currently being held at the Collier County Jail for child pornography charges.
Waco Police stress that they are continuing to pursue an investigation into Odiong because they believe he is “a potential serial sexual assault suspect," according to the affidavit. They hope more of his victims will come forward to help with the investigation, police said.
Waco Police explained that they can’t prosecute some of the victim’s complaints due to the statute of limitations, but in Texas, those statutes are irrelevant if “probable cause exists to believe that the defendant has committed the same or similar sex offense against five or more victims.”
"The Waco Police and I seek to speak with other women who have had similar encounters with Anthony Odiong within McLennan County and other areas in the United States," DeLange said in a video shared on Waco PD's Facebook page.
Two sexual assault charges have reportedly been filed against Father Anthony Odiong, with eight survivors identified so far, police said. Police are still asking other survivors to come forward.
"To those who may have been victimized, respect for your experience is our highest priority," said Waco PD in a statement. "You will not be required to go to court if you don’t prefer, nor will your name be made public. If you have been victimized by Anthony Odiong anywhere in the United States, we need to hear from you. You are not alone, and you do not have to continue to live with the trauma of this experience alone. The Waco Police Department stands ready to assist survivors, no matter where they may be. You can speak directly to Detective Bradley DeLange directly, who will explain how we are committed to ensuring your confidentiality. Det. DeLange can be reached at 254 750-7609."
In McLennan County, Odiong was tasked with working at the St. Peter Catholic Student Center, which serves Catholic students at Baylor University and McLennan Community College. Odiong was also a priest in Luling, Louisiana, but he was suspended last year because of other complaints made by women, including two he encountered while they were at the Baylor University campus in Waco, according to the Guardian.
The women allege Odiong tried to use his influence as a priest to pursue sexual contact with them, the Guardian continues. The Guardian also notes that prior allegations against Odiong also include sexual coercion, groping and financial abuse.
“Waco Police have since sworn that Odiong would inflict sexually abusive acts against his accusers during private masses he celebrated with them or in sessions dedicated to spiritual counseling – all while ‘wearing priest wardrobe items,’" The Guardian states. “He would then communicate constantly with his accusers over email, Facebook and text messages.”
The Roman Catholic diocese of Austin, which administers Waco’s church institutions, revealed that Odiong was banned from ministering in Texas in 2019, but didn’t make that information public until recently.
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