No Jail for Priest Who Had Inappropriate Relationship with Teen

WNYT
October 9, 2014

http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S3583889.shtml

A local priest who pleaded guilty to inappropriate contact with a 15-year-old girl has avoided jail time.

The Rev. James Michael Taylor was ordered Wednesday to pay a $1,000 fine. He's also been ordered not to have any contact with the girl for five years.

Taylor met the 15-year-old girl while he was a youth minister at Corpus Christi Church on Route 9 in Round Lake. The six-month-long relationship included inappropriate physical contact, along with phone calls, texts and photos.

At the time of his arrest this past April, Taylor was a priest at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Schenectady.

Taylor agreed to a plea deal last August in which he admitted to a charge endangering the welfare of a child. The plea deal allowed him to avoid jail time.

Following the sentencing, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany permanently removed Taylor from ministry. He had been on administrative leave since his arrest.