2 priests, 1 accused of sex abuse, found unfit for ministry
PHILADELPHIA » The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has found two priests unsuitable for the ministry, one as a result of allegations of sexual abuse of a minor that surfaced in a 2011 report by a grand jury.
The Rev. Andrew McCormick had been on leave since 2011 because of the abuse claim. Criminal charges against him were withdrawn after mistrials in 2014 and 2015.
The church says McCormick could be dismissed from the clergy or could enter a supervised life of prayer and penance.
The Philadelphia archdiocese conducted its own abuse investigation years ago and wasn’t included in a Pennsylvania grand jury probe that last week identified 300 molester priests in other parts of the state.
A clergyman accused of a drug crime also was deemed unfit for the ministry.
A phone number listed for McCormick has been shut off.
Priest abuse hotline gets 400-plus calls in wake of report
HARRISBURG, PA. » Prosecutors say a hotline set up to get information on child sexual abuse by clergy within Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses has received more than 400 calls over the past six days.
A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said Monday agents are returning all calls and assessing the facts.
Spokesman Joe Grace says the agents will have to consult with the office’s lawyers to determine whether any claims warrant investigation.
Church officials have stressed that many of the allegations in the nearly 900-page clergy abuse report made public last week go back decades, and that changes have been made.
Grace says his office can’t describe or categorize the information that’s coming in, including whether they involve more recent allegations.
3 men face over 1K counts each of sexually abusing animals
MUNSON, PA. » Three men face more than 1,400 counts each of sexually abusing animals at a Pennsylvania farm.
Prosecutors said Monday that a teenage boy alerted state police to the abuse, which involved a variety of animals.
On Saturday, police searched a property where the men live in Munson, Pennsylvania, 130 miles (about 210 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, and seized recording equipment, cameras and homemade videos.
The men are charged with child endangerment and corruption of minors as well as over 1,400 counts each of sexual intercourse with animals. They also were issued animal cruelty citations.
The Centre Daily Times reports the men were jailed in lieu of $100,000 bond. Court records didn’t list lawyers for them.
Jury selection begins for corruption trial of former mayor
PHILADELPHIA » Jury selection has begun for the federal corruption trial of a former eastern Pennsylvania mayor accused of trading city contracts for campaign donations and bribing a former councilman to try and repeal an anti-payto-play ordinance.
Former Reading mayor Vaughn Spencer faces nine counts of bribery, one count of honest services fraud and one count of conspiracy.
Prosecutors allege that Spencer made it clear to donors he would withhold official action from individuals and businesses that didn’t provide satisfactory campaign contributions for his 2015 re-election effort. Those willing to pay, authorities allege, were rewarded with city contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Spencer, a Democrat who took office in 2012, lost the 2015 primary to current mayor Wally Scott. Spencer and his attorney declined comment after a hearing last week.