April 25, 2005

Retired U.S. priest pleads not guilty to sex charges

WORCESTER (MA)
CBC News

WORCESTER, MASS. - A retired Roman Catholic priest extradited to the United States from Canada to face sex abuse charges pleaded not guilty on Monday to molesting altar boys at a parish in Massachusetts.

The Rev. Paul Desilets returned to Massachusetts last week after he dropped a three-year fight against his extradition before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Desilets, 81, took part in Monday's arraignment via video link from jail.

He didn't say a word. He let his lawyer enter pleas of not guilty to more than two dozen counts of indecent assault and battery, including on a child under 14 and a person over 14 years of age.

The judge ordered him held on $100,000 US bail. Desilets's next scheduled court appearance is on May 13.

Posted by kshaw at April 25, 2005 08:15 PM