KANSAS CITY (MO)
Fox 4
April 5, 2012, by Michelle Pekarsky
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Thursday, the Jackson County Circuit Court denied the request of Bishop Robert Finn’s attorney to dismiss the charges against Finn that he failed to report suspected child abuse.
Finn appeared in court last Tuesday with his attorney, who argued the phrases “immediately report” and “reasonable cause to suspect” were vague and that Finn was not the “designated reporter” for the diocese to report offenses to law enforcement.
Prosecutors say Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St Joseph failed to report that they suspected Rev. Shawn Ratigan, 46, of child abuse. Prosecutors say the diocese discovered child pornography on Ratigan’s computer in December but didn’t turn them over to police until May. Ratigan faces federal and state charges of child pornography possession and has pleaded not guilty.
The judge decided, citing past cases, that “persons of ordinary intelligence have no difficulty understanding the meaning of ‘immediately report.’”
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