CENTER (NE)
Yankton Press & Dakotan
CENTER, Neb. -- A priest who formerly served area parishes has received one year of probation as part of a plea agreement involving sexually-explicit material.
The Rev. Jay Kruse, 50, formerly of Verdigre, Neb., has pleaded guilty to one count of Attempted Possession of Visual Depiction of Sexually Explicit Content. The charge is a Class I misdemeanor.
Kruse entered the plea in Knox County District Court. He had originally been charged with two counts of Possession of Visual Depiction of Sexually Explicit Conduct, a Class IV felony.
Kruse served St. Wenceslaus parish in Verdigre and St. William's parish in Niobrara, Neb., from June 2002 to June 2004.
District Judge Patrick Rogers presided at the sentencing. Knox County Attorney John Thomas prosecuted the case, while Omaha attorney James Schaefer represented Kruse.
Court records indicate the charges involve images of juveniles, according to the Knox County Court Clerk's office.
The matter was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Nebraska State Patrol Computer Crimes Unit.
Posted by kshaw at December 21, 2004 07:41 AM