Priests Charged with Abuse to Get Mild Plea Bargains

By Arlo Wagner
Washington Times
July 21, 1995

Four priests charged with sexually abusing nine boys about 20 years ago will be offered lenient plea bargains Monday, an attorney for one of the accusers said yesterday.

Keith Rosenberg said he has written a letter to State's Attorney Jack Johnson protesting the prospective plea bargains. The letter is the most he can do, he said, because plea bargains are between prosecutors and defense attorneys and exclude victims.

"I don't agree with it and my client doesn't agree with it," Mr. Rosenberg said. "It's too lenient."

Assistant State's Attorney Fran Longwell confirmed that plea bargains will be discussed at a conference Monday.

"But we have not made any offers," Ms. Longwell said yesterday.

Before a plea bargain is accepted, the priests would have to agree to plead guilty in exchange for sentences ranging up to a maximum. Then, Circuit Judge William B. Spellbring would have to agree to accept the pleas and to impose sentences under the maximums.

The priests were indicted March 14 on charges of molesting nine boys, some of whom were altar boys, from 1972 to 1982.

Mr. Rosenberg said the Rev. Thomas S. Schaefer, 69, would be offered a 10-year suspended sentence reduced to 18 months in jail. The Rev. Alphonsus Smith, 70, and the Rev. Edward Pritchard, 50, would be offered eight years suspended down to 12 months and the Rev. Edward Hartell, 58, would get five years reduced to six months, the attorney said.

Only the proposed sentence for Father Pritchard might be reasonable, said Mr. Rosenberg. He said his client was abused by all four priests.

Mr. Rosenberg said the plea offers are an atrocity and a callous disregard for the victims. He said there probably were other victims who did not come foreward after the priests were charged and because of the years during which the offenses occurred.

"These people have a long history of pedophilia," Mr. Rosenberg said.