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Priest accused of hiding in bushes outside co-worker's home

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Mo. — A priest who is a teacher at a suburban St. Louis Catholic school was arrested Friday night after police said they found him hiding in the bushes outside a female co-worker's home, KMOV reported.

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Richmond Heights police were called to the home after a woman reported a man looking into her home, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported. Police said when they arrived, they found Michael McCusker, 36, hiding in the bushes. McCusker ran from police but was caught and arrested, the newspaper reported, citing court documents.

McCusker was charged with stalking and resisting arrest, KMOV reported.

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McCusker works and lives at St. Louis Priory School in Creve Coeur, Missouri, the Post Dispatch reported. He also goes by his religious name, Rev. John McCusker, according to archived posts on the school's website, the newspaper reported.

In a letter sent home to parents, Abbot Gregory Mohrman said McCusker was relieved of his duties and no longer lived on the school's campus, KMOV reported.

“We are in communication and cooperation with law enforcement and continue to gather facts,” Mohrman wrote. “While we seek more information, our thoughts and prayers go immediately to the faculty member and family who have been impacted.”