January 01, 2005

Priest fights sex offender status

DAYTON (OH)
Dayton Daily News

By Tom Beyerlein
Dayton Daily News

DAYTON | The attorney for disgraced Catholic priest Thomas Kuhn said Thursday he'll seek to set aside a judge's order that the Rev. Kuhn, who was convicted of 11 misdemeanors in June, undergo sex offender treatment.

Dayton attorney Roger Makley said he'll file court papers next week challenging a Dec. 16 order by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Katherine Huffman that Kuhn, 63, complete sex offender treatment at an Atlanta facility.

"There's no evidence in the record whatsoever that Father Kuhn was convicted of being a sex offender," Makley said.

Huffman also ordered that Kuhn, former pastor of St. Henry and Incarnation churches and former freshman basketball coach at Alter High School, finish writing letters of apology to those institutions and to his minor victims by Jan. 31. Makley said the letters are "in process" and will be done on time.

Huffman further ordered that Kuhn must not enter or be within 1,000 feet of a private or public school. The order came after Cincinnati's Elder High School reported that Kuhn showed up at the school in September. Classes were not in session that day because of teacher training, said Dan Andriacco, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Under conditions of Kuhn's five-year probation set in July, he is to stay away from minors and liquor establishments, and get alcohol and gambling treatment.

Kuhn is to appear before Huffman at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 13 for a probation status report. Huffman declined to comment on the case Thursday.

Posted by kshaw at January 1, 2005 09:47 AM