SAN DIEGO (CA)
Union-Tribune
By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 11, 2005
The former pastor of a Point Loma Roman Catholic church was granted probation yesterday after pleading guilty in February to 10 misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography.
The Rev. Gary Holtey, 59, was not required to appear in San Diego Superior Court for his sentencing and did not, even though his attorney said he was back in San Diego after having spent the past five months in a sex offender treatment program on the East Coast.
One of the conditions of Holtey's probation requires that he complete a year-long offender program. Deputy City Attorney Timothy Campen said Holtey has already completed 24 weeks of a program approved by the probation department in Silver Spring, Md., and that it is expected he will complete treatment at the same location.
Holtey went on leave from St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church and Academy shortly after federal agents and San Diego police raided his parish office May 6.
At the time of Holtey's guilty plea last month, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said Holtey has been permanently removed from the ministry.
Posted by kshaw at March 11, 2005 06:53 AM