Andrew Showers, a priest from Madison, was arrested in Clintonville Aug. 24, 2025. Police say he traveled there to meet a 14-year-old girl and engage in sexual activity. (Photo courtesy Waupaca County Sheriff's Office)
WAUPACA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A judge entered a not guilty plea Tuesday for a priest accused of child pornography possession.
Fr. Andrew Showers, 38, faces two counts of possession of child pornography. He returns to court May 18 for a status conference.
Showers waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday. Showers then stood mute and did not enter a plea, so Judge Diane Meulemans entered the not guilty plea for him. Showers appeared in court in civilian clothes and was not wearing a priest’s collar.
Showers also faces charges for trying to meet who he believed was a 14-year-old girl, but “Abby” was actually an undercover police officer. He was charged in August with attempted sexual assault of a child, attempted child enticement and attempted use of a computer for a sex crime. A status conference is set for May 13 in that case.
These new charges are a result of digital evidence found on electronic devices seized from Showers following his arrest, officials said.
In a statement, Madison Catholic Bishop Donald Hying called the new charges “deeply troubling.”
“Any situation involving the abuse, exploitation or victimization of children is profoundly grievous and stands in direct contradiction to everything we believe and uphold as Catholics,” Hying said. “The safety, dignity and well-being of children and young people must always be protected. The abuse or exploitation of minors must never be tolerated, especially within the Church.”
Since becoming a priest in 2017, Showers served at two churches in Northeast Wisconsin. He was at All Saints in Berlin and Our Lady of the Lake in Green Lake in 2022 and 2023. Showers also served at parishes in Madison, Waunakee, Clinton and Wisconsin Dells.
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