MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
By Stephen Montemayor Star Tribune MAY 21, 2015
Francis Hoefgen was a priest more than 20 years ago at St. Boniface Church in Hastings.
Now the 64-year-old is on trial in Dakota County, accused of sexually abusing an altar boy at the parish in the late 1980s and early ’90s.
Hoefgen, who has left the priesthood and lives in Columbia Heights, faces two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. While dozens of priests have been accused of sexual misconduct, Hoefgen is one of the few to face criminal charges for alleged offenses that date back decades.
In opening statements, attorneys outlined a case that hinges on the passage of time and the recollection of the former altar boy, who is now 36. St. Boniface merged with the Guardian Angels parish in 1987 to become St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
“The church is gone, but his memories of abuse are still here. That testimony is what this case is about,” said Assistant Dakota County Attorney G. Paul Beaumaster.
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