Not guilty plea from retired priest in sexual assault case
Posted: Jun 4, 2019 7:53 AM CDT
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) -- The attorney for a 94-year-old retired priest has entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to a sexual assault charge in La Crosse County Circuit Court.
Monsignor Bernard McGarty did not appear in court Monday for his hearing on fourth-degree sexual assault.
WXOW-TV reports that in the criminal complaint, the alleged victim told investigators that McGarty approached her as she sat on a bench outside the main La Crosse library on May 11. She said she told him she was homeless and he handed her $20.
The complaint says that McGarty took her arm and placed it in his lap with clear sexual intentions.
McGarty is currently free on a signature bond.