Prosecution Decision Today in Wehmeyer Sexual Abuse Case

By Joseph Lindberg
Pioneer Press
January 29, 2014

http://www.twincities.com/crime/ci_25016507/prosecution-decision-today-wehmeyer-sexual-abuse-case

The Ramsey County attorney's office and St. Paul Police Department will hold a joint press conference Wednesday morning to announce a prosecution decision in the Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer case.

The press conference will be held at the Ramsey County attorney's office library in downtown St. Paul at 10 a.m., according to a release from the office of Ramsey County Attorney John Choi.

Formerly assigned to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in St. Paul, Wehmeyer is serving a five-year prison term for possessing child pornography and sexually abusing two children.

A September 2013 report by Minnesota Public Radio said top archdiocese officials knew of Wehmeyer's sexual compulsions for nearly a decade but still kept him in the ministry.

Choi said in a statement last year that he was "troubled" by details in the report on how the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis handled allegations against Wehmeyer -- but said his office could not open a grand jury investigation as requested by a victims' support group.

Spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein has said the attorney's office must first have a case investigated and presented by police.

Authorities will also detail Wednesday morning the manner in which information came to be known to law enforcement in the criminal prosecution of Wehmeyer.