KANSAS CITY (MO)
Fox 4
September 6, 2012, by Michelle Pekarsky
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A decision could come Thursday on the charges against Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn and his diocese that they failed to report to authorities their suspicions of child pornography.
Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph face two misdemeanor counts of failing to report suspicions of child abuse. Prosecutors say they found lewd photographs of children on Shawn Ratigan’s laptop computer, but didn’t report it for six months.
On Wednesday, Finn and the diocese agreed to allow a judge to decide their guilt or innocence rather than a jury, which will avoid a lengthy and public trial. It was scheduled to begin Sept. 24.
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