PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Newsworks
June 12, 2013
By Aaron Moselle, @awmoselle
A Philadelphia judge Wednesday sentenced a Catholic priest and a former parochial school teacher to prison for the sexual assault of a young boy that took place nearly 15 years ago.
Before a packed courtroom, Common Pleas Court Judge Ellen Ceisler handed Rev. Charles Engelhardt six to 12 years in jail.
Bernard Shero, a former teacher at St. Jerome’s parish school in Northeast Philadelphia, received eight to 16 years behind bars.
Both men addressed Ceisler before being sentenced. Each maintained their innocence.
Engelhardt, 66, choked up at times as he reviewed his four-plus decades of service as a priest and said he had “no recollection” of the victim, who was abused when he was 10 and an altar boy at St. Jerome’s.
“I had no interaction with him that would lead to this accusation,” said Engelhardt.
“I believe that [this injustice] will be righted,” he added.
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