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HARTFORD COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — A deacon for the Catholic Church in Maryland’s Harford County has been arrested and charged with two counts of sexual solicitation of a minor, the sheriff’s department announced on Thursday.
Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler identified the suspect as 45-year-old Kenneth Goedeke, of Bel Air, Maryland.
Gahler said in a statement that Goedeke was taken into custody by deputies after communicating with an undercover detective whom he believed to be a 15-year-old boy. The suspect then allegedly arrived at a location to engage in sexual activity with the child.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore released a statement confirming that Goedeke served as a Catholic Church deacon and former Catholic school teacher. It said that before Goedeke was hired, he underwent “a thorough employment screening, which included FBI/CJIS fingerprint criminal history check, and a comprehensive background and reference check.”
Archdiocese of Baltimore statement
The Archdiocese of Baltimore said it was informed by the Harford County Sheriff’s Office of the arrest of Goedeke on charges of soliciting a minor. “Goedeke served as a deacon at St. Margaret Parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and began employment at St. Ignatius Church in Hickory in July of 2026. According to communications from law enforcement officials, these charges are not related to anyone at the parishes or schools where he served.”
The Archdiocese said Goedeke was ordained as a deacon in 2023. He served at St. Patrick Havre de Grace and St. Joan of Arc in Aberdeen before working at St. Margaret Church in Bel Air, beginning in 2025. He also previously worked at St. Isaac Jogues Church from 2005 to 2012 and the John Carroll School, a Catholic high school, from 2020 to 2026.
John Carroll School comments on arrest
A statement from the John Carroll School said Goedeke had not been employed by the school since February of this year and that the suspect no longer had any ties to the institution.
“While the school cannot comment on an active law enforcement case, the allegations against former employee Deacon Ken Goedeke are deeply concerning and directly conflict with The John Carroll School’s values and mission,” the statement said.
It added: “The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority. The John Carroll School has thorough policies and safeguarding protocols in place to protect our students.”
Sheriff cautions parents
Sheriff Gahler said he felt “angry, disgusted, and deeply thankful” about the arrest.
“Angry that someone in a position of trust attempted to victimize a child. Disgusted that any adult would ever consider exploiting a child in such a vile and predatory way. And thankful that our detectives acted decisively, intervening before a child was harmed and ensuring that this predator was stopped before he could carry out his intentions,” he said in his statement.
Gahler urged parents and caregivers “to talk openly with their children, not only about this case, but about the broader dangers posed by trusted adults who misuse their positions and by online predators who target our youth.”
Community reacts to deacon’s sexual abuse allegations
The Abuse Survivors Coalition (ASC), an advocacy group for abuse survivors, is encouraging others who may have been abused by Goedeke to come forward and reach out to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office tip line at cactips@harfordsheriff.org.
The organization also credited the sheriff’s office who stopping the activity through a sting operation.
“I would like to hold up with special honor Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler for releasing a statement that unequivocally supports survivors and anyone who may have been a victim of Goedeke,” ASC stated. “Too often officials minimize or ignore the damage done by predators, Sheriff Gahler did not.”
ASC added, “the Archdiocese of Baltimore released a statement today after Goedeke’s arrest. Sadly, it was a feeble attempt at acknowledging his actions, and already defending itself citing that background checks and fingerprints were done. There was no information as to whether previous complaints were made regarding Goedeke, but he was suddenly terminated from John Carroll high school months ago, and we can only question why.”
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