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	Cincinnati Priest Who Faced Rape, Sex Charges Acquitted Associated Press, carried in The Plain Dealer [Cincinnati OH] November 2, 2005 Cincinnati- A judge has acquitted a Roman Catholic priest accused of raping a boy while a pastor in the 1990s, saying the accuser's story was not believable. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman found the Rev. Raymond Larger not guilty of rape, sexual battery and gross sexual imposition. Ruehlman heard about two hours of testimony Monday from the now 21-year-old accuser, who came forward last year. He said he was abused in 1995-97, while Larger was the pastor of St. James Church. "It's silly to go any further with this case. The testimony I heard just isn't credible," Ruehlman said after the prosecution rested. The accuser said that Larger told him sex would bring him "closer to heaven" and that the priest took an interest in him because of family problems that included an abusive father and a mother dying of cancer. Larger, 54, hugged family and friends as he left the courtroom. "I feel great," Larger said. "There is no truth whatsoever to the allegation." The case was the second time that Larger has faced sex charges. In 2003, Larger pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of public indecency and soliciting sex from a male undercover officer in a Dayton park.
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