Baltimore’s Gilman School Rocked As Ex‑Chaplain Indicted In 1970s Child Sex Abuse Case

An 81-year-old former chaplain at the Gilman School has been indicted in Baltimore on allegations that he sexually abused a child on the school’s campus in the 1970s. The retired priest is facing a pair of criminal counts tied to alleged conduct from decades ago, according to court records. The indictment identifies the school’s North Baltimore grounds as the site of the alleged abuse, and the accused has denied the claims.

Maryland court filings show that an indictment was returned on Feb. 24 in Baltimore City Circuit Court, charging Laurence LaPointe with a third-degree sexual offense involving a child under 14 and a separate count of causing abuse to a minor, under case number C-24-CR-26-000815. The state document lists LaPointe’s Putnam, Conn., address along with the two counts on the indictment, according to Maryland court records. The publicly available cases-filed report does not list an attorney for LaPointe on the docket.

LaPointe is a longtime priest in the Diocese of Norwich who has served as the diocese’s director of campus ministries and as a campus minister to Connecticut College and Eastern Connecticut State University, according to the Diocese of Norwich. The diocese’s website also notes LaPointe among clergy celebrating decades of ministry, and records his ordination in 1970.

The Diocese of Norwich says it placed LaPointe on administrative leave on March 6, after learning of the Maryland case, and that diocesan officials were notified of the indictment on March 11. LaPointe “denied the allegations,” the diocese told reporters, and the Maryland Office of the Attorney General is handling the prosecution, according to coverage by The Banner. Court calendars list an initial appearance in Baltimore Circuit Court on March 26, 2026, ahead of further pretrial proceedings.

Charges and next steps in court

Prosecutors have filed two counts tied to alleged conduct in the 1970s: a third-degree sex offense involving a victim under age 14 and a separate charge of causing abuse to a minor, as outlined in the Baltimore case filing. Those counts are recorded in Maryland’s case report for C-24-CR-26-000815, and the matter is expected to move through arraignment, discovery, and pretrial motions in Circuit Court. Because the alleged conduct dates back several decades, both sides can be expected to contest evidence and witness availability as the case develops.

School and local context

The indictment lists Gilman School’s Roland Park campus as the alleged location of the abuse. The independent boys’ school, which serves students from pre-K through grade 12, is located at 5407 Roland Avenue in North Baltimore. As of now, Gilman has not issued a public statement tied directly to the indictment. The case adds to ongoing scrutiny of historic abuse allegations in Maryland institutions as prosecutors continue bringing long-ago claims into court.

LaPointe has denied the allegations. He is scheduled for an initial court appearance on March 26, and the Baltimore City case will proceed through the normal criminal process, which could take months to resolve. This report will be updated as additional court filings and official statements become available.