STOCKTON (CA)
The Record
By Jennie Rodriguez-Moore
Record Staff Writer
April 17, 2012
STOCKTON – Michael Kelly, the former Catholic priest found liable of sexual misconduct against a former altar boy, has left the United States for his native Ireland, according to the Diocese of Stockton.
In the midst of a civil trial in which the victim seeks damages, Kelly said in a letter to Bishop Stephen Blaire that the stress of the trial is causing health problems.
“By the time you read this letter I will be in Ireland with my family,” Kelly said in the letter dated April 15 and received by the diocese Monday. “I am sorry for any difficulty this may cause the Diocese, but my health can’t take it anymore.”
A civil jury on April 6 unanimously found Kelly liable of actions related to sexual assault, and Kelly was scheduled to testify today in the phase of the trial that focuses the diocese’s handling of Kelly.
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