A Springfield, Ill., priest is on administrative leave after calling 911 to report that he was unable to remove a pair of handcuffs he’d been “playing with.”
Father Tom Donovan placed a 911 call on Nov. 28 from the rectory of St. Aloysius Parish asking for help getting out of the cuffs “before this becomes a medical emergency.”
His voice on the 911 tape released yesterday by police sounds garbled or muffled. Police discovered Fr. Donovan was also wearing a gag when they arrived.
Donovan told police he was alone in the rectory when he was gagged and cuffed.
Kathie Sass, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Springfield, would not disclose Donovan’s whereabouts to the Illinois Times or say whether he is staying at a church-affiliated location.
“There’s a matter of privacy there,” she said.
“He came to the bishop before anyone was aware of the incident,” Sass said. “He came to the bishop and asked for help and was granted leave.”
