BishopAccountability.org
 
  Ex-Rabbi's Kid-Porn Arraignment Delayed

By Michael P. Mayko
The Connecticut Post
September 7, 2006

http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_4301104

Bridgeport — A former West Haven rabbi and state social worker charged with having child pornography had his arraignment postponed until later this month so he can hire a lawyer.

Superior Court Judge Earl Richards granted Edward Schlaeger's request to delay his expected not-guilty plea during an appearance Thursday.

Schlaeger, 51, of Hawthorne Avenue in Shelton, is the former rabbi of Congregation Sinai in West Haven. He recently worked as a counselor for the Southwest Connecticut Mental Health System in Bridgeport, a division of the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Wayne Dailey, a department spokesman, said Schlaeger has been on paid administrative leave since his arrest Aug. 24.

Schlaeger surrendered to Trumbull police on that day, following a year-long investigation that included searches of his former home on Stone House Road in Trumbull and his current home in Shelton. He has been free on bond since.

Trumbull police began investigating Schlaeger after his estranged wife turned over a series of suspected child pornography videos to the lawyer handling her divorce. The videos and other evidence gathered during the searches were reviewed by the State Police Computer Crimes and Electronic Evidence laboratory, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and officials with the Yale-New Haven Medical Center Sexual Abuse Evaluation Program before charges were filed.

Meanwhile, Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Marcello is is considering transferring the case from the Superior Court, Part B on Golden Hill Street court to Superior Court, Part A on Main Street.

mmayko@ctpost.com

 
 

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.