WAUPACA, Wis. -- A Madison-area priest accused of child sex crimes stood mute at an initial appearance Tuesday, online court records show.

Appearing via Zoom in a Waupaca County courtroom, Fr. Andrew Showers saw not guilty pleas entered on his behalf for felony charges of attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted child enticement and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age.

The 37-year-old priest is accused of driving to Clintonville to meet up with a 14-year-old girl named Abby for sex. However, Abby never actually existed. According to a criminal complaint, a Clintonville police officer posed as Abby online and made posts in adult-targeted social media forums in order to catch Showers.

Showers was most-recently assigned to O

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