A Florida elementary school teacher—and his former coworker, a Catholic school priest—are  behind bars for preying on children in a decades-long cycle of sexual abuse that kept investigators “up at night.” 

Christopher Crisona, 57, was arrested mid-shift at Andover Elementary in Orange County on March 10 on a Delaware warrant for continuous sexual abuse of a child. 

Investigators say his alleged crimes date back to the 1990s at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Delaware, where he once worked alongside former priest John Taggart, 80—who now also faces such charges. Another priest, John Francis O’Brien (now deceased), was also investigated as part of the same anonymous tip that led authorities to Taggart.

The abuse, which spanned from 1994 to 1996, followed a chilling pattern and persisted for years, authorities said. 

"The State’s indictment alleges a pattern of gravely serious abuse against a juvenile by two adults in a position of trust. As prosecutors, and as parents, these kinds of cases keep us up at night—but they also give us purpose,” Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said.

Taggart, a priest at St. Thomas the Apostle from 1987 to 1998, was first identified after an anonymous tip to the Diocese of Wilmington. He repeatedly abused a child throughout their 7th and 8th-grade years, with the abuse continuing into high school, investigators said.

Beyond his tenure at St. Thomas, Taggart was assigned to multiple parishes, including St. John the Apostle in Milford (1999) and St. Helena’s in Wilmington (2001), before stepping down from active ministry in 2004. Now 80, he resides in Georgia as the case against him unfolds.

Crisona worked at St. Thomas for the 1994-1995 school year and part of the 1995-1996 school year before being removed mid-year following a student complaint. He later worked at St. Matthew’s (1999), Corpus Christi (1999), and St. Hedwig’s (2000) before being hired by Orange County Public Schools in Florida in 2008.

Crisona has allegedly worked at multiple other schools, including Columbia Elementary, Sadler Elementary, Fern Creek Elementary, Stone Lakes Elementary, Avalon Middle, Wedgefield K-8, and Andover Elementary.

Taggart’s Charges:

• Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child
• Two counts of Dangerous Crime Against a Child
• Two counts of Unlawful Sexual Penetration (3rd Degree)
• Four counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse (1st Degree)
• Unlawful Sexual Contact (2nd Degree)

Crisona’s Charges:

• Unlawful Sexual Contact (2nd Degree) (2 counts)
• Three counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse (1st Degree)
• Unlawful Sexual Penetration (3rd Degree)
• Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child

Authorities believe there may be additional victims given “the defendants’ professional history” and encourage anyone with information to contact (302) 577-5293 or ReportAbuse@delaware.gov.