Rev. Richard A. Arko
Summary of Case: Convicted in 2004 of growing marijuana in the church rectory. Police learned of the marijuana from an informant who also said he had been in a sexual relationship with Arko since he was 15 and that the priest would give him gifts, money and drugs in exchange for sex. In July 2004 Arko also lost his state license to perform massage therapy, based on the felony conviction for growing pot. Arko was laicized in 2015.
Ordained: 1990
Laicized: 2015
|
| Start | Stop | Assignment | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
1990 Cleveland bishop was Anthony Michael Pilla (1980-2006) |
1994 | Holy Cross | Euclid | OH | 2/4 , 3/3, 2/2
|
Holy Cross had a school with 425-469 students. |
| 1994 | 2002 | St. Mary's | Barberton • A 25 year old man who tipped the police off about Arko's marijuana cultivation in 2004 stated that Arko had been sexually molesting him from the time he was 15 through January 2004. He was reportedly lived in the St. Mary's neighborhood when he was 15 and was hired to shovel snow. The man said Arko plied, him with money, gifts-including buying him a house-and drugs in exchange for sex. (Akron Beacon Journal [Ohio] |
OH | 1/2 Administrator |
|
| 2001 | 2002 | Sacred Heart | Barberton | OH | Administrator | |
| 2002 | 2004 | Prince of Peace | Barberton • Arko was suspended from ministry in Jan. 2003 when he was arrested for cultivating marijuana in the parish rectory. A 24 year old man who was living with Arko was arrested with him for marijuana trafficking (Akron Beacon Journal [Ohio] |
OH | 1/2 | St. Mary's and Sacred Heart merged in 2002 to become Prince of Peace. Prince of Peace had a CCD program with 105 students. Arko was a massage therapist and lost his license to practice after his marijuana conviction. The 2004 Directory is the last in which Arko is indexed. On July 20, 2015 the diocese announced that Arko had been laicized. (Diocese of Cleveland, July 20, 2015.) |
Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1991-2004)
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This assignment record was last updated on March 31, 2021.