"There was some concern Bernie possibly being involved with some female students from Ursuline High School next door," says Latorre.
The I-Team has been able to confirm two sexual misconduct complaints against Ward when he was a priest. First, Rosanne Schwab. Father Bernie got her parents' approval to take her to the beach for a day when she was 17.
"This was a different time and place where priests really were trusted, and so Bernie and I headed out to Bodega," says Schwab.
On the way, Schwab says Ward stopped at a liquor store, bought a bottle of 151 rum. When they got to the beach, he parked on a cliff.
"He produced a joint out of his pocket," says Schwab.
Schwab says they smoked marijuana and drank. Then, Father Bernie began pressing her for intimate details of the sex life with her boyfriend.
"Every time I tried to bring the conversation around to something that made me feel safer, Bernie would bring it back to the sex," says Schwab.
Schwab says she grew very uncomfortable and when Ward put his hand on her shoulder, she froze with fear.
"And he took that same hand and grabbed the back of my head and pulled me to him and stuck his tongue in my mouth and held me very tightly with the one hand behind my head and the other hand up against my breasts," says Schwab.
And in the other incident, the girl punched Ward in the stomach when he tried to kiss her.
Totally inappropriate behavior when both people were minors. However, it isn't known yet whether Ward quit the priesthood on his own or whether he was kicked out. According to his file, there was no allegation of misconduct, and his lawyer says the allegations are false.
You can watch the video report at the link.
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