A 30-year-old priest is accused of sending nude photos of himself to a 17-year-old girl he met through his work at an Allentown parish.

The criminal charges come one week after the Pennsylvania attorney general released an 884-page grand jury report detailing decades of sexual abuse and coverups across six dioceses, including the Diocese of Allentown.

In a crowded news conference, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said the latest charges levied Tuesday are not related to the grand jury investigation.

Kevin Lonergan, of Pottsville, is charged with one count each of corruption of minors and indecent assault. He could face a maximum of nine years in prison if convicted of both counts.

He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon on the charges and released on $50,000 unsecured bail.

Reporters and cameras crowd in as Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin gives a press conference Aug. 21, 2018. (Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Lonergan allegedly met the victim in August 2017 before Mass at St. Francis of Assisi church on 11th Street in Allentown, where he was assigned. He has been a priest for five years, and it was not immediately clear if he has worked at other churches.

He got her cellphone number from another member of the church and communicated with her, mostly via Snapchat, through January, the district attorney said. Some of those messages allegedly included nude photos.

In February, Lonergan hugged the victim at church -- she attempted to pull away, but he pulled her closer and grabbed her rear over her clothes, Martin said.

After the victim told another priest of the assault in June, the diocese reported it to the DA's office and Lonergan was immediately suspended from public ministry, according to both Martin and a statement from the diocese.

Though the are not connected, the allegations against Lonergan follow a grand jury report alleging that at least 1,000 identified children were abused at the hands of 301 priests across the state, including 35 named priests and one layperson in the Allentown diocese.

(MORE: The complete list of grand jury allegations of Diocese of Allentown sex abuse)

Martin said neither the timing of the report nor the fact that the case involved a priest affected how his staff investigated.

"Regrettably we have a lot of cases of this type, which involve child victims who are subject to sexual and other types of abuse," Martin said. "The fact that this happens to be a clergy member is certainly regrettable and in today's climate newsworthy, but it's much the same vein as any other case."

The diocese statement said Lonergan has retained his own legal counsel at his own expense, but it did not name his attorney.

The statement also explained why the diocese didn't immediately announce the allegations. This has been its practice in recent years as part of an effort "to deal with such allegations with transparency," the statement says.

"The announcement was delayed, however, after the district attorney asked the diocese not to make an immediate announcement because it might interfere with the investigation," the statement says. "The diocese cooperated fully with the law enforcement investigation."

Anyone who knows of incidents of abuse, in the church or elsewhere, should report it to the State Child Line at 1-800-932-0313, the State Attorney General's hotline at 1-888-538-8541 or to local law enforcement.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.