RIVERHEAD (NY)
1010 WINS
Apr 12, 2005 7:25 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) RIVERHEAD, Long Island A court hearing is being held to determine if former Long Island priest Michael Hands should be labeled as a Level Three sex offender. Hands pleaded guilty in 2003 to sodomy and attempted sodomy with a 13-year-old boy he befriended while a parish priest in Northport. He also agreed to cooperate in a grand jury investigation into sex offending priests in the Rockville Diocese.
He served 15 months in prison ad was released a year ago. His attorney - Peter Rubin - says Hands been rehabilitated and should be taken off the sex offender list.
Prosecutors say even though Hands was convicted of just one offense, there are other victims. According to prosecutors, labeling Hands a Level Three sex offender is the safest and legal thing that should be done. Advocates for Megans Law also believe Hands should be a Level Three offender because he used his position of trust to target kids.
Hands is already listed as a Level Two offender in Nassau County. If Hands is assessed as a Level Three offender, his address and place of employment will be available to the public.