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 (WTAQ-WLUK) — A priest who believed he was messaging a 14-year-old girl — but who was actually a police officer — admitted to wanting to meet her for sex, and wrote an apology letter to “Abby,” a criminal complaint states.
Fr. Andrew Showers, 37, was charged Wednesday with attempted sexual assault of a child, attempted child enticement and attempted use of a computer for a sex crime. An initial appearance is scheduled for Sept. 30.
Showers, who was assigned to a Madison parish, was removed from active ministry by the Catholic Diocese of Madison.
According to the criminal complaint, Clintonville police created a fake online profile for a 14-year-old girl named Abby, seeking male companionship.
Showers responded, with details of the sex acts he would like to perform with the girl, and allegedly sent explicit photos to her.
Showers made arrangements for the two to meet at a Clintonville park, noting he had reserved a hotel room. When he got there, police arrested him.
“After being properly Mirandized Andrew drafted a letter addressed to “Abby” wherein he apologized for his actions stating that he had put his “own desires, wants, and brokenness before [her] wellbeing… and I am sorry that you were the recipient and victim of my poor decisions and selfish pursuits,” the complaint states.
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.
Comments