NOBLESVILLE, Indiana — A judge rejected a proposed plea agreement for a suspended Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in 2016 and instead set a trial date for the cleric Thursday.

Hamilton County Superior Court Judge Michael Casati threw out the deal that would have allowed David Marcotte to plead guilty to one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minor in exchange for the state dismissing charges of child solicitation and vicarious sexual gratification.

Casati scheduled a jury trial for Oct. 10 on the three felony counts, WRTV-TV reported.

The boy was 14 and 15 when Marcotte allegedly texted him inappropriate photos and engaged in sexual conduct via social media platforms, court documents state.

Marcotte met the boy in 2016 when he worked at St. Malachy Church and School in Brownsburg. The abuse allegedly happened in 2017 and 2018, according to a probable cause affidavit.

At the time, Marcotte was also assigned to St. Martin of Tours Parish in Martinsville. He was serving as a chaplain at Roncalli High School, the University of Indianapolis and provided sacramental assistance at Sts. Francis and Clare Parish in Greenwood when the Archdiocese of Indianapolis suspended him from the priesthood in 2019.