NEW JERSEY
New Jersey 101.5
Newark Archdiocese Elevates Priest Who Admitted Groping 14 Year Old Boy 12 Years Ago – Why is He Still a Priest? [POLL]
Question: Can a priest, who admitted to groping a 14 year old boy on 2 separate occasions, and was allowed to enter a Pre Trial Intervention program for first time offenders, still be allowed to remain a priest?
According to the Archdiocese of Newark, not only does he remain a priest, but he gets elevated to a lofty administrative position to boot. An administrative position where he will have no contact with children…which is part of his sentence.
Here’s the deal:
Father Michael Fugee allegedly grabbed the crotch of a 14 year old boy back in 2001 while grappling with him at the teen’s home and while on vacation in Williamsburg.
According to this:
At the time, he had been serving as assistant pastor at the Church of St. Elizabeth in Wyckoff when authorities charged him in 2001 with aggravated criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child. He allegedly grabbed the crotch of a 14-year-old boy while wrestling with him at the teen’s home and on a vacation in Williamsburg, Va.
Under questioning by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Wyckoff police, Fugee admitted touching the teen, saying he did it intentionally, that it sexually excited him and that he knew it was a “violation,” according to a transcript of his statement. He later recanted, claiming he lied so he could go home earlier.
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