GREEN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Green Township police removed a parishioner from Saturday afternoon Mass at Our Lady of Visitation after he questioned whether a priest had viewed pornography on a parish computer.
Two officers escorted parishioner Jake McQuaide, who is an NFL long snapper, out of the church during the 4 p.m. Mass, after he stood up in his pew to loudly ask Archdiocese of Cincinnati Chancellor Jason Williams for answers.
Williams had just finished reading a letter from Archbishop Robert Casey about controversy at the parish, and that Fr. Martin Bachman would be taking a “previously planned sabbatical.”
“Several concerns have been brought to the attention of the archdiocese. These have been investigated, and no wrongdoing — either criminally or ecclesiastically — has been substantiated … consequently, like gossip, the spreading of rumors is sinful, and we should all work to overcome this tendency of our fallen human nature,” according to Casey’s letter.
The letter stated that Fr. Donald Siciliano and Bachman are priests in good standing, and that Green Township police confirmed there is no evidence or investigation of criminal wrongdoing by Bachman.
See the interaction between McQuaide and Williams in the video below:
Green Township police Capt. Mitch Hill said officers never investigated nor were asked to investigate by the archdiocese.
“We were not provided any complaints from parishioners, but absent an aggravating factor, viewing pornography in and of itself would not be illegal or cause to launch a criminal investigation,” Hill wrote in an email to WCPO.
The Hamilton County prosecutor’s office also did not investigate Siciliano or Bachman and had no communications from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati related to any recent allegation.
But Green Township police did investigate an unrelated complaint in December 2023 with connections to Our Lady of Visitation.
The incident occurred at 6655 Werk Road, a home located near the church and school campus, and owned by the archdiocese, according to police and county records.
The name of the person who filed the complaint with Green Township police is redacted because Ohio law allows the names of crime victims to be concealed.
The victim told police he lost $58,000 from an online investment account.
The victim also said a person he met online sent multiple emails threatening to “send pictures of their conversations to his parishes,” and admitted “their conversations were sexual in nature, which is breaking his policies with the parishes.”
Police tracked the suspect’s IP address to Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. Police listed the charge as telecommunications fraud, but were unable to make any arrests, according to police records.
The police report includes a sexually explicit exchange between the two and a written threat from the suspect: "I will hurt you."
Casey’s letter, read aloud at weekend masses by Williams, did not mention that police investigation.
When Williams finished speaking and walked away from the podium on Saturday, McQuaide stood up from his pew in the front of the church to loudly ask questions.
“Please take a second. We want to put these rumors to rest. Can you answer this for me … fact or fiction,” McQuaide can be heard saying in multiple videos that were provided to WCPO.
“This is not the time for this,” a voice from the altar answered.
“I’m sorry, sir, this is the time and the place. I will stand up,” McQuaide said, according to the video.
“Did the priest use our parish computer to look at pornography? … true or false,” McQuaide said, according to the video.
McQuaide, a 2006 Elder graduate, is a career NFL long snapper who went to the 2019 Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. He played for several teams last year, including the Miami Dolphins, and is now a free agent.
McQuaide, who is a member of the Our Lady of Visitation parish, declined an interview. Green Township police said he was not charged with a crime.
“You can look at pornography at your house, but you cannot do it here,” McQuaide told the chancellor, according to the video, adding that he had seen the images in question from the priest’s computer.
“I am not trespassing,” he said, as two officers approached him and began to lead him down the center aisle of the church.
Hill said someone from the church called on Friday and requested a police detail for all weekend masses and would pay for the expense.
Parishioner Todd Zureick also spoke up before the 8 a.m. Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Visitation, ahead of the chancellor reading the archbishop's letter.
“There will be claims today that inappropriate material was not found. It was. That is the truth,” according to a video of his speech, as he stood in his pew.
“In late March, my wife and I received images from a laptop located in the parish office, operated by Fr. Bachman. These images showed thumbnails to pornography sites and links to multiple virtual reality role-playing sites involving pornography, sexual assault, group sex, rape, and occult themes,” according to Zureick, who filed a formal complaint with the archdiocese on April 14.
Zureick described them as hardcore games with titles such as The Mortuary Assistant, Autopsy Simulator, Sex Hotel, Lust Hotel, and VR Secretary, which involved sexual violence and torture, sexual behavior with corpses, and other disturbing behavior.
“As of May 13, an email from archdiocese employee Ms. Emily Niehaus confirmed that the review of our report was still ongoing. The matter remains open as of May 31, 2025,” according to Zureick.
“It's sad and embarrassing that the lack of institutional control and lack of leadership by our parish leadership has led to this,” Zureick said. “A simple acknowledgement of the issue and taking responsibility would have allowed this to be handled with a scalpel in mid-April, but now it's being handled with a hatchet. We love our parish, our school, and our community, and would never wish this upon our parish.”
The archdiocese issued this statement:
“The allegation that Fr. Bachman used a parish-owned computer to view pornography is false. Neither Our Lady of Visitation Parish nor the Divine Mercy Family of Parishes has ever issued Fr. Bachman a computer. As Archbishop Casey has stated, everyone faces particular challenges in life. Priests are no different. The archdiocese will continue to assist its priests and employees with their personal and spiritual growth.”
As of Tuesday, 709 people had signed a petition demanding transparency and leadership accountability at Divine Mercy Parish and Schools, which includes Our Lady of Visitation.
“We, the undersigned community members, parishioners, and school families of Visitation, St. Jude, and St. Joes, are deeply concerned about the current direction of leadership and decision-making within our parish,” according to a group known as the Concerned Parents of Divine Mercy Family of Parishes.
One of the group’s demands is protection from retaliation for families speaking out.
“Many families are hesitant to voice their concerns due to fear of retaliation from leadership. Parents and staff should be able to advocate for transparency, accountability, and a stronger school community without fear of negative consequences for themselves or their children,” according to the petition.
But one parishioner, Sally Koester, had a different perspective.
In an email to WCPO on Tuesday, Koester wrote: "It's unfortunate that a large # of parishioners have banded together in their attempt to rid of both Fr. Don & Fr. Bachman. A large # of angry school moms who have less interest in their spiritual wellness forms an ugly picture. Fr. Don & Fr. Bachman are very holy & devout men who have made a commitment to serve God's people. I might be a minority, but I thought my one small voice should be heard."
Read the archdiocese's full letter from Archbishop Robert Casey below:
Archbishop Robert Casey Letter Regarding Our Lady of Visitation by webeditors on Scribd
