A former Wilmington Catholic school teacher who was arrested while working at an elementary school in Florida has been convicted of multiple sexual offenses involving a child in Delaware more than three decades ago.
The Delaware Department of Justice announced that Christopher Crisona, 58, was convicted on October 22, 2026, of three counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse First Degree, two counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree, one count of Unlawful Sexual Penetration Third Degree, and Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child.
According to prosecutors, Crisona sexually abused a child between September 1, 1994, and June 15, 1995, while employed as a teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Wilmington. He was removed from the school during the academic year following a student complaint but later worked at several other Catholic schools in Delaware.
His subsequent employment included St. Matthew’s in Wilmington in 1999, Corpus Christi in 1999, and St. Hedwig’s in 2000.
Years later, Crisona relocated to Florida, where he continued working as an educator. According to Orange County Public Schools, he was hired by the district in August 2008 and worked at several schools, including Columbia Elementary, Sadler Elementary, Fern Creek Elementary, Stone Lakes Elementary, Avalon Middle School, Wedgefield K-8, and Andover Elementary School.
On March 10, 2025, Crisona was arrested while working at Andover Elementary School, located at 3100 Sanctuary Point Boulevard in Orlando, Florida. Following his arrest, Orange County Public Schools announced that Crisona would not return to the classroom while the investigation remained open.
The Florida school district’s employment records indicated Crisona had worked in Orange County schools for approximately 16 years before his arrest.
The Delaware investigation that ultimately led to Crisona’s conviction began with an anonymous report submitted to the Diocese of Wilmington in June 2022. The complaint concerned allegations that the same victim had been sexually abused by two Catholic priests, Father John Taggart and Father John Francis O’Brien, who is now deceased.
During the investigation, authorities uncovered allegations involving Crisona. The case eventually resulted in criminal charges against both Crisona and Taggart.
Taggart, a former Diocese of Wilmington priest who had been living in Georgia, was arrested in March 2025 and subsequently extradited to Delaware. He previously served at St. Thomas the Apostle in Wilmington and St. John the Apostle in Milford, among other assignments.
Taggart is scheduled to stand trial on January 11, 2027. He faces four counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse First Degree, two counts of Unlawful Sexual Penetration Third Degree, one count of Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree, and Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child.
In January 2026, Delaware Superior Court Judge Calvin Scott partially granted a motion filed by Taggart’s defense attorneys, dismissing two counts of Dangerous Crime Against a Child while allowing the remaining charges to proceed. Taggart has not been convicted, and the charges against him remain allegations pending trial.
Crisona faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 47 years in prison. As of the Department of Justice’s October 2026 announcement, a sentencing date had not been scheduled.