Man sentenced for harassing church pastor
NORRISTOWN >> A West Norriton man will be under court supervision for up to a year after a jury convicted him of harassing his onetime church pastor.
Andrew Joseph Kelly, 53, of the 100 block of Oxford Circle, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to six months and eight days already served to 12 months in jail on a misdemeanor charge of harassment. Judge Garrett D. Page also warned Kelly to have no contact with his former pastor and to stay away from First Baptist Church located on Burnside Avenue in West Norriton as a condition of the sentence.
The judge further ordered Kelly to undergo a drug, alcohol and mental health evaluation and to complete any treatment that may be recommended by probation officials.
“There are two sides to Andy Kelly. There is the loving, caring, church-going Andy Kelly when he’s sober and then there’s the Andy Kelly when he drinks,” said Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Geiser who sought a substance abuse evaluation for Kelly to address any alcohol-related issues.
The pastor was not in court but Geiser indicated to the judge that the pastor wants Kelly to get the help he needs.
Kelly had been in jail before making bail, while awaiting trial on the charges, and was eligible for the time served sentence under state sentencing guidelines.
Several friends of Kelly, called by defense lawyer Kevin Horan, described Kelly as “a loving, caring person” who would do anything for anybody.
“God blessed me with a lot of you people,” Kelly said as he turned to his supporters in court before learning his fate, adding he’s trying to address his unchristianlike traits.
Horan said the support shown by Kelly’s friends shows he is “respected in the community.”
“He cares about people. I thought it was important for the judge to see that side of Andy Kelly, his reputation for being someone who’s trusted and loved in the community,” Horan said.
In January, a jury convicted Kelly of a misdemeanor charge of harassment in connection with incidents that occurred between February and July of 2016 during which prosecutors alleged he harassed, annoyed or alarmed, through phone calls, text messages and social media posts, the female pastor and parishioners of First Baptist Church even after being warned by police to stay away from the church and to have no contact with the pastor and church members.
The jury acquitted Kelly of a more serious misdemeanor charge of stalking, which could have carried up to five years in prison. With the stalking charge, Geiser had alleged Kelly engaged in a course of conduct with intent to place a female pastor and parishioners in reasonable fear of bodily injury or to cause them substantial emotional distress.
During the trial, Horan argued Kelly did not have intent to place the pastor and church members in fear of bodily injury and didn’t intend to cause them emotional distress. Horan described Kelly as a very religious man and he argued Kelly was distressed about being excluded from the church and the contacts he made with people of the church were an effort by him to get back to the church.
During the trial, Geiser suggested Kelly developed an infatuation with the pastor and despite being warned multiple times by church members and police to stay away from and to stop contacting the church Kelly persisted. Geiser alleged Kelly expressed his anger about being banned from the church on Facebook and bombarded church members with numerous text messages demanding to know when and how the decision to suspend him from the church was made.
Testimony revealed township police began an investigation in February 2016 when church officials reported Kelly’s alleged erratic behavior after he had been banned from the church in September 2015. At that time police warned Kelly to have no contact with church officials. However, Kelly ignored the police warning and several days later he was cited for harassment, testimony revealed.
Despite receiving the citation, in May 2016, Kelly phoned the church to schedule an appointment to be photographed for the church yearbook and church officials advised him once again he was to have no contact with the pastor or the church. Kelly then allegedly communicated that there would be “consequences” if he was not permitted to be in the church yearbook, according to a criminal complaint.
Kelly, according to court documents, told police he was not warning of physical consequences only that there would be consequences in front of God for his exclusion from the yearbook and church, according to the criminal complaint.
The pastor testified she felt unsafe and felt stress.
Kelly testified at trial that he needed a ministry that was excluding him.
“There are two sides to Andy Kelly. There is the loving, caring, churchgoing Andy Kelly when he’s sober and then there’s the Andy Kelly when he drinks.” — Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Geiser