$1 million bail set for accused Minnesota priest

By Kevin Bonham
DL-Online
November 19, 2014

http://www.dl-online.com/content/1-million-bail-set-accused-minnesota-priest-0

ROSEAU, Minn. – Cash bail of at least $1 million was set today for a Roman Catholic priest who fled to his native India eight years ago to avoid facing felony criminal sexual conduct charges stemming from incidents involving teenage girls between 2004 and 2005.

The Rev. Joseph Jeyapaul is facing two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment or $40,000 fine, or both. He also is facing one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, which is subject to a maximum penalty of 10 years or a $20,000 fine.

He is accused of sexually assaulting a parish member in Greenbush, Minn., when the victim was 14 and 15 years old, in 2004 and 2005. At the time, Jeyapaul was administrator of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Greenbush, as well as St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Middle River, Minn., and St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Karlstad, Minn.

In 2007, the charges were amended to include similar allegations involving a second girl who was 16 during the same time period.

Minnesota Ninth District Judge Donna Dixon set bail today at $1 million or $10 million surety bond, subject to conditions of release, or $2 million cash bail without conditions. Among the conditions of release is the forfeiture of his passport.

Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and bound by leg shackles and orange handcuffs, Jeyapaul told the court he will need a government-appointed attorney.

His next hearing is Dec. 1, when an attorney likely will be appointed, according to Roseau County Attorney Karen Foss.

“That’s a huge relief to actually get this finally started,” Foss said after the hearing.

She estimates it might take five months to schedule and go through a jury trial.

The five-year extradition process was started in 2009 by then-County Attorney Lisa Hanson, Foss said.

As part of the extradition process requested by Roseau County attorneys, through the U.S. Department of Justice and Interpol, police found and arrested Jeyapaul in March 2012 in his home country of India.

Jeyapaul arrived in Minneapolis Monday from India, after the Indian high court dismissed his plea to stay in that country. On Tuesday, he was transported to Roseau, where he is being held in the Roseau County Detention Center.

Roseau County authorities thought Jeyapaul was going to be extradited from India by the end of October, according to Foss. However, he filed an appeal Oct. 31.

The Indian court denied the appeal on Friday, and he was on his way to Minnesota on Saturday, she said.

Foss, who is completing her fourth year as county attorney, said that while the case against the defendant is strong, she is talking with a special prosecutor from northern Minnesota about the possibility of assisting in the prosecution.

“The hurdle we’ll have is the age of the case,” she said. “Some people might not remember all of the details.”