PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By John P. Martin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
A judge today threw out the most serious charges against the former pastor of a Montgomery County Catholic Church who was accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old altar boy in Philadelphia in 1997.
Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Karen Simmons said testimony from the victim did not show that the Rev. Andrew McCormick, 56, committed felony sexual assault or involuntary deviate sexual intercourse in the incident.
But she ordered McCormick to stand trial on misdemeanor indecent assault, endangerment and corruption charges.
The ruling stunned prosecutors. Minutes after the preliminary hearing ended, they returned to Simmons’ courtroom, a sign they would seek to refile the felony charges against McCormick.
McCormick, 56, was arrested last month at his parents’ home in Pottstown.
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