St. Paul: Supporters Plead for Leniency for Priest
By Emily Gurnon
Kirill Bartashevitch, the St. Paul man who allegedly pointed an AK-47 at his 15-year-old daughter in a dispute over her getting B's instead of A's in school, is a highly respected Russian Orthodox priest who should be treated with leniency. That's the message from at least 20 supporters throughout the world, including people in Russia, Canada, New York and Ohio, who wrote to Judge Lezlie Ott Marek on his behalf after she presided at an earlier hearing in the case. The writers describe Bartashevitch as a deeply religious man who expresses great care and compassion for others, helping them grow in the faith. Some said they did not believe reports of the charges. Bartashevitch appeared Tuesday, April 2, in Ramsey County District Court, initially asking for another continuance in his case so that he could deal with potential "immigration consequences that are quite significant," said his attorney, Cullin Smith. Smith did not elaborate. Bartashevitch then changed his mind. Judge Joy Bartscher set a pretrial date of May 1. Smith entered not-guilty pleas on his client's behalf. Bartashevitch told reporters after the brief hearing, "Your work has made life miserable for people. That's all I have to say." A Parma, Ohio, family wrote to the judge, "In all our conversations with and our many confessions to him, he has been a great example for us and was without fail kind and patient, leading our souls to God, so we may partake of the liturgy," wrote the family, who said Bartashevitch traveled there. A Maryland man wrote that Bartashevitch deeply regretted that an older daughter had "fallen away from Orthodoxy," and he was determined not to let the same thing happen to the 15-year-old. In the Jan. 13 incident, Bartashevitch and his daughter were arguing at the family's Hamline-Midway home in the 1700 block of Englewood Avenue when she swore at him and said she "hated" him, according to a criminal complaint. Bartashevitch, 52, grabbed his new AK-47 -- he'd recently bought it because he feared such weapons soon would be banned -- and pointed it at the girl, the complaint said. The girl said her mother jumped between them while Bartashevitch pointed the gun. Bartashevitch ordered the girl to go to her room, which she did, according to the complaint. The teen "said she wasn't scared because she didn't think that the gun was loaded," the complaint said. "She did say that she was afraid to go home." She was at her high school when she talked to police, the complaint said. Bartashevitch was charged with two counts of making terroristic threats, one count involving his daughter and the other his wife, Olga Samsonova, 52. A Ramsey County child protection worker interviewed Samsonova, who verified the girl's account. She added that Bartashevitch had pushed Samsonova to the floor, the complaint said. A prosecutor said Tuesday that Bartashevitch had rejected a plea offer that would have given him a stay of imposition of sentence and a maximum of 60 days' jail time in exchange for pleading guilty to one of the two felony counts. In addition to being a priest, Bartashevitch has worked for Minneapolis Public Schools since 2000. He was an IT support assistant at Sheridan Elementary School and Emerson Spanish Immersion Learning Center but was placed on an unpaid leave of absence on the day he was charged, a district spokeswoman said. He has no prior complaints on file there. Court records show Bartashevitch was convicted of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, in 2000 and put on probation for one year. Samsonova was listed as the victim. egurnon@pioneerpress.comtwincities.com
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