July 19, 2005

Convicted priest living in church apartment

TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade

A Roman Catholic priest and former high school teacher who served 21 months in prison is back in the same church-owned apartment at Toledo's Corpus Christi University Parish where federal agents seized child pornography in a raid in December, 2002.

Stephen G. Rogers, 57, listed the apartment at 2963 Dorr St. as his residence after getting out of prison May 5 and registering as a sexually oriented offender with the Lucas County sheriff's department.

The apartment behind Corpus Christi University Parish, across from the University of Toledo, is owned by the Toledo diocese but is a private residence and not a tax-exempt church rectory, said Sally Oberski, director of communications for the diocese. She said Rogers' rental agreement was approved by Bishop Leonard Blair and federal law-enforcement officials.

"Upon his release in May … Stephen Rogers complied with all of the necessary requirements for registering as a sexually oriented offender," Ms. Oberski said in a statement.

Posted by kshaw at July 19, 2005 08:30 AM