US

Kentucky Priest Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison On Second Molestation Charge

Font Size:

Kentucky Priest Father Joseph Hemmerle who plead guilty last month to wanton endangerment and third degree sexual abuse charges was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday, WDRB reports.

After two years, Father Hemmerle will be eligible for parole.

The charges date back to 1977 and 1978, when Hemmerle is accused of molesting a boy at Camp Tall Trees in Meade County, Kentucky.

Last month, the victim agreed to sign a plea agreement so that he can settle the case and “show mercy on Hemmerle due to his age,” according to WDRB.

Thursday’s sentence is an addition to a seven-year prison stint that Hemmerle is already serving for a separate molestation crime at the same camp in the early 1970s. (RELATED: Top Adviser To The Pope Charged With Sex Offenses)

Hemmerle has been suspended from ministry and on administrative leave from the Catholic Church since 2014, the Associated Press reports. (RELATED: The Pope’s Divorce Doctrine Divides The Church, Cardinals Demand Audience)