June 20, 2007, 12:20PM
Priest charged with DWI after crashing into restaurant



SMITHVILLE, Texas - A priest who recently underwent treatment for alcohol
abuse was charged with drunk driving after he crashed a pickup into a
restaurant and injured 10 people, a Texas Department of Public Safety
trooper said.

The Rev. Karel Fink's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal
limit of 0.08 percent Monday night when he crashed into a Mexican restaurant
in Smithville at a low rate of speed, DPS Trooper David Adkins said.

Five of the injured people were taken to hospitals in Austin and Smithville,
but no one was seriously injured, Adkins said. Fink's pickup ended up about
10 feet inside the restaurant.

Fink, 61, told authorities he accidentally pressed the gas instead of the
brake, Adkins said.

Fink, who is pastor of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Smithville, was
released from the Bastrop County Jail on his own recognizance on Tuesday. He
did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Christian R. Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Austin, said
Fink returned to Smithville from an alcoholism treatment facility within the
past couple of weeks.

"Obviously he needs more treatment to continue his recovery," Bishop Gregory
Aymond of the Austin Diocese said in a statement. "A priest should never be
a danger to the lives of others. Father Karel will receive the necessary
help for his illness."