Priest Pleads Guilty to 1970s Abuse at Gilman School

State of MD - A Catholic priest who once worked at Gilman School in Baltimore, MD has admitted to sexually abusing a middle school student there nearly 50 years ago. Laurence LaPointe, 81, of Putnam, Connecticut, entered his guilty plea on November 4, 2026.

LaPointe pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to one count of fourth-degree sex offense and one count of common-law assault. The Maryland Office of the Attorney General led the investigation, and Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced the outcome.

Judge Charles H. Dorsey III sentenced LaPointe to three years of incarceration and suspended all three years. Instead of jail time, he will serve five years of supervised probation.

While on probation, LaPointe can't have direct contact with anyone under the age of 18. He also can't work or volunteer in any school setting that involves people under 18, and he must have no contact with the victim. He has to get a psychosexual evaluation and follow any treatment it calls for.

According to facts shared in court, LaPointe was a priest in the Diocese of Norwich. In the mid-1970s, he was temporarily assigned to Gilman School, where he worked as a chaplain and taught religion.

That's where he met the victim, who was a middle school student at Gilman. Around 1976 or 1977, LaPointe invited the boy to his on-campus apartment, which sat above the gym, to play chess.

Once they were there, LaPointe talked the boy into playing what he called "strip chess." During the game, he sexually touched the boy in his bedroom. LaPointe then told him it was something special between the two of them and that he shouldn't tell anyone.

LaPointe was in his early 30s at the time. The victim was in middle school.

The victim was in the courtroom for the plea hearing and gave a victim impact statement to the judge. He spoke about how hard it was to decide whether to tell anyone about the abuse, and why he chose to come forward.

"My desire for privacy could no longer outweigh my desire to see him held accountable," he said.

He also told the court he hopes the guilty plea leads to more honesty from LaPointe. "I hope his admission of guilt today marks the beginning of a much larger process of honesty and accountability. I hope he will find the courage to acknowledge any other misconduct, voluntarily and fully, without requiring other victims to endure years of investigation, the prospect of a trial, and the emotional burden of having to prove what happened to them. If there are others, and if he has even an ounce of dignity left in him, or perhaps a shred of that original purpose that led him to the seminary, then he owes them that truth."

He closed his statement with these words. "Today, finally, after nearly fifty years, the heavy burden of his actions and the lasting harm he has caused, passes from me to its rightful place. From this day forward, it is Laurence LaPointe's obligation to bear the weight of what he did to an innocent child."

Judge Dorsey showed empathy for the victim and for all victims of sexual assault. He told the victim he hoped that, now that he had given his statement, the memories would "no longer hold you in bondage."

Attorney General Brown also spoke about the case.

"Those who were sexually assaulted as children continue to carry the burden of that trauma long after they reach adulthood," said Attorney General Brown. "No matter how much time passes, we will help lift that weight off survivors' shoulders and hold accountable anyone who abuses a position of trust to inflict such devastating harm on our children."

Brown thanked Criminal Division Chief Katie Dorian, Organized Crime Unit Chief Paul Halliday, and Assistant Attorneys General Ashley Pamer and Jennifer Matteson, who prosecuted the case. He also thanked Senior Investigator Richard Wolf and former Analyst Kayla Kress for their work on the investigation. He gave special thanks to the civilian witnesses and the victim for their help and cooperation.