Convicted Ex-Priest Brought Back to Prison, by Matt Hanley, Geneva Sun, April 23, 2008

Convicted Ex-Priest Brought Back to Prison

By Matt Hanley
Geneva Sun
April 23, 2008

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/genevasun/news/906876,2_6_2_TC23_PRIEST_S1.article

Only two months after being released, former Aurora and Geneva priest Mark Campobello is back in prison.

Campobello was brought back to prison last week, after a "technical parole violation," according to Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman Derrick Schnapp.

Mark Campobello

Schnapp would not say how Campobello, who has been living in McHenry County, violated his parole.

"It wasn't a new offense," Schnapp said. "He wasn't charged with something else."

Technical parole violations could include making an unauthorized trip or not checking in with a parole officer.

Campobello was imprisoned for three years and eight months after he pleaded guilty in 2004 to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl between January and May 1999 while he lived at the rectory of St. Peter Church in Geneva.

He also pleaded guilty to molesting a 15-year-old girl while she was a student at Aurora Central Catholic High School between November 1999 and March 2000, while he served as assistant principal at the school.

When Campobello was released on Feb. 13, he was scheduled to be on parole for four years and had to register as a sex offender. He was expelled from the priesthood by the Vatican in 2005 while he was in prison.

The diocese last year issued an apology to the two female victims of Campobello, who are now adults, and settled a lawsuit brought by the two women for $2.2 million.

Last week, Campobello was initially taken to Dixon Correctional Center, but he was transferred to Stateville by Thursday, Schnapp said.

Campobello will have to have his case heard by the Prison Review Board, which will determine whether he should be re-released or serve the rest of his sentence.