Charlotte Church Leaders Talk To Members Following Priest Arrest

A priest accused of having sex with a Charlotte teenager could be back in North Carolina this weekend.

Investigators told Eyewitness News that Father Robert Yurgel could be extradited to Charlotte.

He was arrested last week in New Jersey, and is accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old in the late 1990s. That victim is now 23 years old.

Yurgel served at St. Matthew Church from May 1997 until June 1999.

For the first time since Yurgel's' arrest, parishioners gathered at the south Charlotte church for Sunday services last weekend.

"There is an elephant in this room that needs to be talked about," the Rev. John McSweeney told parishioners during a 10-minute discussion on the topic.

He asked for parishioners in their 20s who may have dealt with "Father Bob" as teenagers to come forward and talk to police or church staffers if anything inappropriate happened to them.

He also said the church will conduct an internal audit on background checks and offered counseling to any parishioners needing it.

"It makes my faith stronger that we are acknowledging this and we are taking corrective measures," said parishioner Michael Stella following Sunday's 9 a.m. mass.