A member of the faculty at Saint Ambrose University and a Catholic priest, has been put on leave after being accused of sexual misconduct. Wednesday the Diocese of Des Moines announced the Reverend Robert "Bud" Grant is on leave, pending the outcome of an investigation.
The complain alleges sexual misconduct that occurred in the early 1990's.
Grant is restricted from all public ministry, and St. Ambrose, where he's been on the faculty since 1994, has suspended him.
According to the Des Moines Diocese, the Iowa Attorney General's office was the first to be notified of the complaint last fall, and the Diocese only learned of it on February 27th. Law enforcement authorities in Scott, Polk, and Pottawatomie Counties have also been notified of the complaint.
The Diocese of Des Moines Allegation Review Committee will review evidence produced by the investigation and offer counsel to the bishop according to their standard protocol. This group is comprised of an attorney, a retired teacher, a psychologist, a chief of police, a judge, a priest, and deacon. They will make a recommendation to Bishop William Joensen regarding the appropriate course of action, which may include forwarding the case to the Vatican for review, canonical trial, and appropriate penalty, which may include removal from the priesthood.
Father Grant was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Des Moines in 1984. Before coming to St. Ambrose in 1994, he served on the faculty at St. Albert High School in Council Bluffs from 1988-1994.
