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  Waitress: Priest Exposed Himself

Click on Detroit
May 15, 2009

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19473946/detail.html

Gibraltor Priest On Leave To Deal With Accusations Of Exposing Himself

A Downriver priest will be sentenced next month for disorderly conduct. The charge stems from an incident at a restaurant where a waitress reported seeing him expose himself and rub his private parts.

Rev. Roger Knapp was arraigned earlier this week on charges of lewdness and indecent exposure. According to the Heritage News-Herald, the incident happened the afternoon of March 26 at Amigo’s Restaurant, 22085 West Road.

Under a plea bargain, Knapp pleaded no contest to the charge of disorderly conduct and the charge of lewd and indecent exposure was dropped. Knapp is expected to be sentenced June 4 to nine months probation. If he follows the terms of his probation, the charge will be dropped.

Knapp, 57, has been the pastor at St. Victor Catholic church in Gibraltar since 1996. Another priest is filling in at the church.

In the police report obtained by the Heritage News-Herald, the waitress told police she saw Knapp rubbing his upper leg near his privates when she walked by him to serve another customer. The report said that when she walked past him again he was fully exposed and was fondling himself.

The waitress asked another employee to watch what was happening and the report said that employee saw Knapp rubbing his leg and moving his hand to his privates every time the waitress walked by him.

The report said that when Knapp was interviewed by police in April, he told officers there was a misunderstanding about what he was doing. The priest told police he spilled salsa on his pants and was cleaning it.

The Archdiocese of Detroit released a statement to the Heritage News-Herald this week. "We are aware of pending legal matters involving Fr. Roger Knapp, a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit," Ned McGrath, director of communications, said in the statement.

The statement also said that Knapp has been on a leave of absence since May 6 to handle the matter.

 
 

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