UPDATE:: Jury acquits former priest of sexual misconduct
Not guilty was the verdict of a 12-member jury for the former Hibbing priest accused of sexual misconduct.
Brian
M. Lederer, 30, was facing four counts of criminal sexual conduct in
the second degree and two counts of criminal sexual conduct in the
fourth degree.
The alleged
incidents occurred during the 2014-2015 school year after school hours
at Assumption School. One incident took place in a residence, and other
actions occurred on a school bus.
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UPDATE:: Trial date set for Minnesota priest accused of abusing girls
A June trial date has been scheduled for a Hibbing priest accused of sexually abusing four girls.
A five-day trial for Brian Michael
Lederer, 30, is set to begin June 13 in State District Court in Hibbing,
according to court records.
Sixth
Judicial District Judge David Ackerson previously denied a motion to
dismiss the charges, and not guilty pleas were entered on Lederer's
behalf on Nov. 30.
Authorities said four girls, ranging in age
from 10 to 14, came forward to report incidents of inappropriate
touching by Lederer, who worked at Blessed Sacrament Parish and the
Assumption Catholic School.
UPDATE:: Hibbing priest seeks dismissal of child abuse charges
Similar to the dialogue that
Anne Hendershott of the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life is endorsing. Not quite victim blaming, but damn close. By casting a pall over the narrative of the child they seek to diminish the impact.
An
attorney for the Hibbing priest accused of sexually abusing four girls
is seeking to have his client's criminal charges dismissed, alleging
that the case is the result of an overzealous prosecution fueled by the
ongoing child sexual abuse controversy in the Catholic Church.
The Rev. Brian Michael Lederer, 29, faces seven felony charges
related to the alleged inappropriate touching of the girls and
possession of child pornography.
Lederer's defense attorney, Peter Wold of Minneapolis, contended
in a motion filed last week in St. Louis County District Court that
there is a lack of probable cause to substantiate the charges.
Wold said in a 17-page memorandum that the church has been
"rocked" by abuse allegations, which he argued has led to a "cultural
shift" in the perception of interactions between clergy and
parishioners.
"Hugs are no longer gestures of caring, but sexual advances,"
Wold wrote. "Games played with kids are no longer innocent activities,
but opportunities of sexual assault. But, the fear that an innocent
touch is actually a sexual advance is not the standard in a criminal
court. Real evidence that establishes a reasonable probability that a
facially innocent act occurred with sexual intent must be presented."
Lederer was a parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Hibbing until he was charged in May.
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Another charge has been brought against a Hibbing, Minn., priest
currently on administrative leave in light of a fourth victim coming
forward.
Brian Lederer, 29, now faces six charges of criminal sexual conduct, as well as a charge of possession of child pornography.
Three victims were under 13, and another was under 16.
On Thursday the St. Louis County court approved adding a charge of criminal sexual conduct involving a fourth victim.
Child pornography was allegedly discovered on Lederer's personal computer, according the St. Louis County Attorney's Office.
Fourth victim comes forward in case against Iron Range priest | KBJR 6 & Range 11 | KDLH 3: News, Weather, Sports for Duluth MN / Superior WI / Northland | Crime
See also: Hibbing priest arrested on suspicion of sexual misconduct with minor
