Theodore McCarrick, the defrocked former archbishop of Washington, D.C., pleaded not guilty Friday to sexually assaulting 16-year-old Massachusetts boy nearly 50 years ago.McCarrick, 91, wore a mask and entered Dedham District Court hunched over a walker. “Shame on you!” a protester shouted.He did not speak during the brief hearing, at which the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, set bail at $5,000, and ordered him to stay away from the victim and have no contact with minors.McCarrick, the highest-ranking Catholic official in the U.S. to face criminal charges in the clergy sex abuse scandal, is charged with indecent assault and battery on a person over 14.The alleged abuse happened at a wedding on the campus of Wellesley College, police said. The alleged victim, who is now 60, said that McCarrick was a long-time family friend who molested him for years. He said he was 16 years old at the wedding reception when McCarrick assaulted him again."(He) went into explicit detail about different sexual encounters involving McCarrick including sexual abuse when (he) was older that occurred in hotels," according to the police report. The accuser went on to describe unwanted touching during their walk around the campus and a forced sexual encounter in a coat room near the reception. The statute of limitations does not apply because McCarrick is not a resident of Massachusetts.The alleged victim was not identified but he is represented by attorney Mitchell Garabedian.“Historically, this is the first time ever in the United States that a Cardinal has been criminally charged with a sexual crime against a minor,” Garabedian said in a statement. “It takes an enormous amount of courage for a sexual abuse victim to report having been sexually abused to investigators and proceed through the criminal process.” Pope Francis defrocked McCarrick after a Vatican investigation found him guilty of sex crimes.
Theodore McCarrick, the defrocked former archbishop of Washington, D.C., pleaded not guilty Friday to sexually assaulting 16-year-old Massachusetts boy nearly 50 years ago.
McCarrick, 91, wore a mask and entered Dedham District Court hunched over a walker. “Shame on you!” a protester shouted.
He did not speak during the brief hearing, at which the court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, set bail at $5,000, and ordered him to stay away from the victim and have no contact with minors.
McCarrick, the highest-ranking Catholic official in the U.S. to face criminal charges in the clergy sex abuse scandal, is charged with indecent assault and battery on a person over 14.
The alleged abuse happened at a wedding on the campus of Wellesley College, police said. The alleged victim, who is now 60, said that McCarrick was a long-time family friend who molested him for years.
He said he was 16 years old at the wedding reception when McCarrick assaulted him again.
"(He) went into explicit detail about different sexual encounters involving McCarrick including sexual abuse when (he) was older that occurred in hotels," according to the police report.
The accuser went on to describe unwanted touching during their walk around the campus and a forced sexual encounter in a coat room near the reception.
The statute of limitations does not apply because McCarrick is not a resident of Massachusetts.
The alleged victim was not identified but he is represented by attorney Mitchell Garabedian.
“Historically, this is the first time ever in the United States that a Cardinal has been criminally charged with a sexual crime against a minor,” Garabedian said in a statement. “It takes an enormous amount of courage for a sexual abuse victim to report having been sexually abused to investigators and proceed through the criminal process.”
Pope Francis defrocked McCarrick after a Vatican investigation found him guilty of sex crimes.
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