KENTUCKY
WDRB
Updated: Feb 09, 2017
BRANDENBURG, Ky. (WDRB) — A local priest will soon find out how long he’ll spend in prison.
Sentencing begins Thursday morning in Meade County for Father Joseph Hemmerle. He was convicted in November of abusing a 10-year-old boy at a Catholic-run youth camp in 1973. A jury recommended a 7-year sentence.
The Archdiocese of Louisville put Hemmerle on leave, when accusations first surfaced in 2014.
The victim is now 53 years old and says he had poison ivy, when he spent time at Tall Trees Camp in Meade County in the 1970s. He testified that Hemmerle offered to treat it. That’s when the victim says he was abused.
Attorneys are expected to call several witnesses to defend Hemmerle, including former students.
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