Defrocked Life-Teen Founder Pleads Guilty

[stevusmagnus]

Defrocked priest Fushek pleads guilty to single misdemeanor charge

by Jim Walsh
Apr. 15, 2010
The Arizona Republic
azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/04/15/20100415defrocked-priest-fushek-pleads-guilty.html

Defrocked Catholic Monsignor Dale Fushek pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of misdemeanor assault, ending five years of prosecution on charges of inappropriate sexual behavior involving teens.

Fushek was sentenced to 364 days of probation and fined $250 plus a 37 percent surcharge by San Tan Justice of the Peace Sam Goodman.

The sentencing was part of a plea deal that allows Fushek to avoid five separate trials, the first of which was scheduled April 30.

“I feel a tremendous weight gone. I feel I can move on with my life,” Fushek told the Republic Thursday. “I feel a brightness I haven’t felt for a long time.”

Fushek, the former second-in-command of the Phoenix Diocese, was accused of indecent exposure, assault and five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection with several incidents involving approximately five young male teens.

The teens complained that Fushek had asked them intimate details of their sex lives and that he had gotten into a hot tub while naked with one of them.

There were no allegations of felony sex acts.

The assault charge involved the “flicking” of a young man’s genitals, but prosecutors dropped an allegation of sexual motivation, meaning Fushek will not be required to register as a sex offender.

Fushek said the incident he pled guilty to involved a pickup basketball game, and that doesn’t remember the details.

Thomas Hoidal, Fushek’s attorney, dismissed the incident as horseplay.

While prosecutor Barbara Marshall said the incident was inherently sexual in nature, Hoidal emphasized that Fushek was not convicted of a sex crime.

Marshall said however that Fushek admitted “inappropriate conduct” with members of his former parish at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in Mesa.

Earlier in his career, Fushek gained nationwide acclaim as founder of an innovative outreach program he founded at St. Timothy called “Life Teen.” The organization formed chapters across the nation and in several foreign countries.

After the allegations, Fushek was suspended by the diocese. He was later excommunicated for continuing to hold religious services despite an order from Bishop Thomas J. Olmstead to refrain from public ministry.

 

[coolduude]

Please. The sex scandals wracking the Church are bad enough. I must kindly ask that you withhold any more posts regarding the scandals; we don’t need to hear it. Please have some respect

coolduude

 

[Musicadmirer]

This belongs in the Catholic News fora. Other than that, it is upsetting that the judicial system is so deeply flawed that a pedophile needn’t register as a sex offender.

 

[erigby27]

Though I agree that this is probably not in the right place, this is just more evidence that the civil authorities are where much of the problem lies, and that the Catholic Church is one of the safest places for children. In this case, Fushek was excommunicated and then de-frocked by the signature of Pope Benedict himself, and yet legally he basically got away with it. In other words, the Church employed the harshest penalty for such behavior (because they are on top of this stuff), and the civil authorities did nothing.

So who protects children? The Catholic Church, or America?

 

[puzzleannie]

Defrocked Catholic Monsignor Dale Fushek pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of misdemeanor assault, ending five years of prosecution on charges of inappropriate sexual behavior involving teens.

Fushek was sentenced to 364 days of probation and fined $250 plus a 37 percent surcharge by San Tan Justice of the Peace Sam Goodman.

The sentencing was part of a plea deal that allows Fushek to avoid five separate trials, the first of which was scheduled April 30.

"I .

so obviously it is the bishop’s fault if he remains free

I for one would like to see every story about an accused or convicted clerical sex offender contain a full report of what the victim, or anyone with knowledge of the crime did to report, and action taken by authorities, police and justice system all along the line, alongside info on what the church allegedly did or did not do properly. would add some needed perspective. Evidently Arizona does not feel these crimes agains minors are a big deal. Parents in Arizona, take note, and keep track of how the system protects your children. or not.