On Thursday afternoon, a jury found a former Columbia Heights priest guilty of sexually abusing two girls at his parish, the Washington Post and WTOP reported.

Urbano Vazquez had been an assistant pastor at Shrine of the Sacred Heart Church in Columbia Heights. After four years at the church, Vazquez was arrested in November of last year over accusations that he had sexually abused a 13-year-old girl in his parish. A month later, he was arrested again on charges that he had also abused a 9-year-old girl.

Over the last two days, Vazquez had taken the stand in D.C. Superior Court and repeatedly denied touching the girls inappropriately, per the Washington Post. He said he was never alone with the children and never assaulted anyone, the outlet reported.

The girls testified that the former priest had abused them on multiple occasions, according to WTOP and the Post. The older girl, who was 13 at the time of the abuse, told police that Vazquez had put his hand down her shirt and groped her breast several times.

After her accusations were made public and Vazquez was arrested in November, a student at Sacred Heart School, which is affiliated with Shrine of the Sacred Heart Church in Columbia Heights, told officials that another girl had once told her that Vazquez had touched her inappropriately. According to police charging documents, that girl, who was 9 at the time of the abuse, said that Vazquez “made out” with her and touched her inappropriately for months.

The younger girl, who is now 12, told the court that at one point before the abuse began, she felt inspired to become a nun herself—but she doesn’t want to anymore, the Post reports. She said Vazquez’s behavior toward her was “disgusting,” and that it hurt her, according to the outlet. She said that she was afraid to tell her mother because she was “scared something worser would happen” if Vazquez found out and became angry with her.

The older victim said one of the incidents of abuse happened with her brother sleeping on the ground nearby, the Post reports.

In March, Vazquez refused a deal from prosecutors that would have required him to plead guilty to one count of second degree child sexual abuse, one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child with aggravating circumstances, and one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse in exchange for a maximum sentence of 11 years and 3 months in prison. Without the plea deal, Vazquez faces up to 30 years and 6 months in prison, WTOP reported at the time.

Shrine of the Sacred Heart’s head pastor, Emilio Biosca Agüero, thanked the victims and their families for coming forward in a statement released on behalf of the church on Friday. Most of the people involved did not leave the church after the allegations came to light, citing their faith in God, Agüero wrote. All of the families had separately and independently confronted Vazquez when their child disclosed the abuse, and told him to stop, per the letter.

“Once confronted he did not abuse that child again, but the crime had already been committed,” Agüero wrote. “Today, we painfully recognize that there is a better way of acting. We must immediately report to the appropriate civil authorities whenever we have any reason to believe or suspect that any child has been the victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual assault, or neglect.”

The Washington Archdiocese first heard about the allegations of sexual abuse against Vazquez in October of last year, and immediately suspended the priest from ministry, per a statement they released at the time. Shortly after he was suspended, a member of the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin, which oversees the Sacred Heart Parish, reported the allegations to police. Vazquez was first arrested on November 7 of last year.

Vazquez will be sentenced on November 22, per the Post. His defense attorney told WTOP that he plans to appeal the verdict.

This story has been updated with a statement from Shrine of the Sacred Heart Church.

Previously:
D.C. Priest Accused Of Sex Abuse Refuses Plea Deal
Columbia Heights Catholic Priest Arrested On Two Additional Counts Of Sexual Abuse
Priest At Northwest Parish Arrested For Sexually Abusing A Teenage Girl