NEW YORK
Albany Times Union
By Robert Gavin
Clifton Park
A Niskayuna priest who carried on a seven-month relationship with a 15-year-old girl admitted he endangered the minor Wednesday — but will spend no time behind bars.
The Rev. James Michael Taylor, who was serving as an associate pastor at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Niskayuna, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor that carries no more than a year in jail.
But Taylor, 30, known as “Father Michael,” will receive no jail time when he is sentenced Oct. 8, according to people familiar with the case.
A five-year order of protection prevents Taylor from contacting the victim.
Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said via Twitter that the victim was satisfied with the conviction and it serves justice. Murphy noted it was not a plea bargain, and Taylor pleaded guilty to the charge he faced.
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