MASSACHUSETTS
Patch
By ADAM SWIFT (Patch Staff)
October 2, 2015
On Friday, the Essex County District Attorney’s office in Salem withdrew its petition to have a former Roman Catholic Priest classified as a sexually dangerous predator in an effort to keep him confined in prison.
Ronald Paquin, now 72, pleaded guilty in 2002 to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old altar boy at a Haverhill church between the years of 1989 and 1992, beginning when the victim was 12 years old.
The Essex County prosecutors attempted to keep Paquin confined by having him classified as a sexual dangerous predator, but was forced to withdraw the petition when the experts who examined Paquin found him not to be sexually dangerous.
“Our contention is that Mr. Paquin poses a danger to the community,” Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. “Unfortunately, we have no further legal options available to hold Mr. Paquin.”
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