Probation decision coming for Missouri Catholic bishop

KANSAS CITY (MO)
KSPR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) –
A judge is expected to decide soon whether to dismiss probation for the highest-ranking U.S. church official convicted of a crime related to the child sexual abuse scandal.

The Kansas City Star reports that Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker filed a probation status report for Bishop Robert Finn on Friday. Finn leads the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. He was convicted in September 2012 of one misdemeanor for failing to report child abuse suspicions.

While offering no opinion on whether probation should be dismissed, Baker did praise two diocese employees’ efforts to keep the diocese in compliance with the terms of the probation.

Jackson County Circuit Judge John Torrence will review the report before ruling on Finn’s probation. It’s set to expire Sept. 5.

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