MINNESOTA
Grand Forks Herald
By John Myers
HIBBING — Catholic Priest Brian Lederer was found not guilty Monday of all six charges against him of inappropriately touching young girls.
A jury of six men and six women deliberated less than two hours before returning the verdict in State District Court after a four-day trial.
Lederer, 30, the former priest at Blessed Sacrament Parish and Assumption Catholic School in Hibbing, was charged in May, 2015 with four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. The charges stem from allegations by four girls, age 11-13 at the time, that Lederer touched them inappropriately.
The most serious charges against Lederer carried a potential penalty of up to 25 years in prison.
Lederer had been on administrative leave by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth pending the outcome of the legal process.
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