KENTUCKY
WDRB
By Chris Turner
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Kentucky priest accused of molesting a boy forty years ago pleaded guilty to reduced charges one day before his trial was set to begin.
On Wednesday, a Meade County, Kentucky, judge accepted Father Joseph Hemmerle’s guilty pleas to two counts of first degree wanton endangerment and five counts of third degree sexual abuse, in exchange for a recommended sentence of two years of prison followed by eight years of probation.
Hemmerle made an Alford plea, in which he does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to warrant a conviction. Legally, it carries the same weight as a guilty plea.
The case involved allegations that Hemmerle abused a boy in the summers of 1977 and 1978 at Camp Tall Trees, a Catholic youth camp in Meade County.
Formal sentencing is scheduled June 29.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.