Andrew Showers appears before Waupaca County court via Zoom, September 30, 2025. (Waupaca County Court/Zoom)
MARATHON COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A former Madison priest already facing child sex crime charges in Waupaca County is now accused of attempted grooming of a child for sexual activity and bail jumping in Marathon County.
Andrew Showers, 38, turned himself in Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to the Diocese of Madison. Court records list the offense date in the new case as March 8, 2026, which is after Showers’ August 2025 arrest in Clintonville.
Showers was first arrested in Clintonville after police said he believed he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl in an online undercover investigation. He is facing charges in Waupaca County including child pornography, attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child, attempted child enticement and attempting to use a computer to facilitate a child sex crime. He has pleaded not guilty.
The diocese says the new Marathon County complaint, filed Thursday, also stems from an online undercover investigation involving an officer posing as a 15-year-old girl.
“The allegations of attempted grooming of a child for sexual activity and bail jumping are once again incredibly disturbing and, if proven, represent behavior we unequivocally condemn,” the diocese said in a statement.
Following his 2025 arrest, the Diocese of Madison restricted Showers from public ministry. In June, Pope Leo XIV granted Showers’ request to be released from the clerical state, meaning he can no longer serve as a priest or perform acts of ministry.
“We are appalled and deeply distressed by these additional charges and continue to pray for anyone affected by this profoundly troubling situation,” the diocese said.
Showers previously served at All Saints in Berlin and Our Lady of the Lake in Green Lake in 2022 and 2023. He also served at parishes in Madison, Waunakee, Clinton and Wisconsin Dells.
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