NEW JERSEY
Daily Record
Peggy Wright, @PeggyWrightDR Aug. 9, 2017
MORRISTOWN – A newly-ordained priest from Poland who is accused of groping a 13-year-old girl’s buttocks under her skirt in Boonton will be released from the Morris County jail to live at the Bethlehem Hermitage for priests in Chester as soon as he surrenders his passport, a Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday.
Over the objection of Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Meg Rodriguez, Judge Paul Armstrong ruled that the Rev. Marcin A. Nurek, 37, shall be released under special conditions while charges of criminal sexual contact and child endangerment are pending.
The conditions include reporting twice monthly to the Superior Court Pretrial Services unit, having no contact with children, and not serving as a priest – a condition that Diocese of Paterson Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli already mandated following Nurek’s arrest on Aug. 3. Nurek also must remain in New Jersey and cannot be transferred elsewhere by the Diocese of Paterson while the charges are pending, Armstrong ruled. …
Nurek, appearing grim-faced, appeared Wednesday in a jail-issued jumpsuit before Armstrong with defense lawyer William Ware and assisted by a Polish language interpreter. A citizen of Poland, he is in the United States on a religious work visa and was ordained a priest on July 1.
Ware told the judge that the Diocese, while ordering that Nurek cannot function as a priest, is still supportive. The Diocese has made arrangements for Nurek to live at the Bethlehem Hermitage for priests in Chester, and he will be monitored by a monsignor and a deacon.
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.