GILBERT (AZ)
East Valley Tribune
GILBERT - A judge on Tuesday refused to force a witness to answer questions about his homosexual relationships before the upcoming trial of suspended Monsignor Dale Fushek.
Fushek's defense attorneys argued last week that Brian Jones must answer the questions to show if he had any biases, but San Tan Justice of the Peace Sam Goodman rejected their motion.
Goodman also rejected a defense motion to designate the Fushek case as complex. His ruling makes Fushek's scheduled June 2 trial more likely to go forward as scheduled. He is accused of misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, assault and indecent exposure.
The charges stem from Fushek's relationship with teenage boys while he was pastor of St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Mesa, where he founded the international Life Teen Program.
Posted by kshaw at May 3, 2006 07:12 AM