Retired Boise Catholic priest facing child sex charges

BOISE– A retired priest from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Boise has been arrested and is facing charges involving sexual exploitation of a child.

The Idaho attorney general’s office in a news release said 72-year-old W. Thomas Faucher of Boise was taken into custody Friday by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and transported to the Ada County Jail.

He’s facing 10 counts of felony sexual exploitation of a child and one felony count of possession of a controlled substance.

Officials said the investigation began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and police executed a search warrant Friday at Faucher’s home.

Faucher was listed on the inmate roster at the Ada County Jail on Saturday. It’s not clear if he has an attorney.