| Judge won't dismiss misdemeanor charges against Kansas City Roman Catholic bishop, diocese Apr 5th 2012, 22:59 Quote:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Missouri judge refused Thursday to dismiss misdemeanor charges against a Kansas City diocese and its bishop, who is the highest-ranking U.S. Roman Catholic official criminally charged with shielding an abusive priest.
Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph are charged with failing to report suspected child abuse. Prosecutors say each is a "mandatory reporter" under the state law. Defense attorneys argued the law is unconstitutionally vague, and that Finn wasn't the diocese's designated reporter.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said she was pleased Thursday and that her office would continue to "prepare diligently for trial in this case."
Torrence denied a request by attorneys for Finn and the diocese to have the cases tried separately if they advanced, saying there is no reason to have two separate trials in a case involving most of the same facts. He also granted two defense motions to quash subpoenas and one to extend the deadlines before the trial, which is to begin Sept. 24.
Finn has acknowledged he was told in December 2010 about hundreds of images of small children, some of them pornographic, found on the Rev. Shawn Ratigan's computer — several months before the diocese turned over a disk containing the photos to local police. The bishop also has acknowledged that a parish principal raised concerns about Ratigan's behavior around children in May 2010, half a year before the photos were found.
cont....
| http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...hxS_story.html It goes on... Interesting that it's not just the person of the bishop in court but the institution as well; looks like the judge is going to give them a hard time about it too. | |
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