BishopAccountability.org

Priest's Federal Trial May Be Delayed

By Kim Norvell
St. Joseph News-Press
May 16, 2012

http://www.newspressnow.com/localnews/31073449/detail.html

Rev. Shawn F. Ratigan

A federal public defender has requested to delay a jury trial for a Catholic priest accused of sexually exploiting children.

Robert Kuchar filed a motion Wednesday to move the Rev. Shawn Ratigan's federal trial to August, citing more than "1,000 pages of new discovery" recently handed over by the prosecution.

"Counsel needs additional time to finish reviewing the discovery and then to discuss the contents of the discovery with Mr. Ratigan," the assistant federal public defender wrote in the motion. "In light of the additional discovery Counsel needs more time to conduct a complete investigation into the newly discovered material."

Rev. Ratigan's trial is currently scheduled for June 4 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Mr. Kuchar requested the case be moved to Aug. 27, which would be more than a year since Rev. Ratigan was indicted for 13 counts of sexual exploitation of minors and children.

The charges relate to possession and production of child pornography, wherein Rev. Ratigan is accused of exploiting five minor victims by producing sexually explicit photos of them. The alleged photographs were taken between 2005 and 2011 at various locations, including a church choir loft in Buchanan County, and involve children between the ages of 2 and 12 years old.

Prosecutors and law enforcement allege the images were found on both church and home computers owned by Rev. Ratigan.

Mr. Kuchar argued that the new evidence may affect his case regarding a computer expert's analysis of forensic evidence obtained by law enforcement.

The Assistant U.S. Attorney, Kate Finchman, has no objection to the request to delay Rev. Ratigan's trial. District Judge Gary A. Fenner has provided a deadline of June 4 for any suggestions or oppositions to the move.

If the continuance is granted, Rev. Ratigan's trial will take place only a month before the trial of his boss, Bishop Robert W. Finn, for allegedly failing to report the child abuse. Mr. Finn is scheduled to appear in Jackson County court in Sept. 24.

Rev. Ratigan also faces child pornography charges in Clay County.

He was the parochial administrator for both St. Mary Church in St. Joseph and St. Joseph Mission in Easton, Mo., from July 2005 to June 2009.




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