A Diocese of Albany priest has been charged by police with criminal mischief after he slashed the tires of the car of an ex-girlfriend. The Times-Union reports the Rev. Michael Greene, rector of St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Albany has been charged with a misdemeanor for slashing the tires of a former contract employee of the parish on 11 January 2024.
Fr. Greene, who took up his post in 2022, after having served in the Diocese of Eau Claire, is alleged to have vandalized the tires of a woman whom he had engaged as a part time employee of the parish last year. The Times-Union reports that shortly after she began work at the church in July, Fr. Greene sought to initiate a relationship. By December the romance had soured and had become bitter.
A spokesman for the diocese said they only learned of the arrest after being contacted by the Times-Union. The ecclesiastical authority of the diocese does not transfer to the newly elected bishop until his consecration later this month, and rests at this time with the Standing Committee. No action has yet been taken by the diocese.
The case remains open before the Albany courts, but Fr. Greene told the Times-Union that it was all a misunderstanding that would soon be resolved.
