Virginia jury acquits retired Catholic priest who was accused of sexually assaulting a baby

A jury has acquitted a retired Catholic priest from northern Virginia who was accused of sexually assaulting a baby far more than 20 several years in the past.

A Fairfax County jury uncovered Terry Specht not guilty Wednesday. He experienced been accused of sexual abuse of a slight underneath age 13. Prosecutors had alleged he dedicated the assault in 2000, when he was chaplain and assistant principal at St. Paul VI Catholic Substantial University.

General public Defender Dawn Butorac reported the jury deliberated for fewer than an hour ahead of returning its verdict.

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"The jury got it right," she stated. "Mr. Specht’s innocence was obvious from the beginning."

The Arlington Diocese issued a assertion stating Specht has been on clinical retirement considering that 2012, and will not return to ministry.

A Virginia jury acquitted the Catholic priest who was accused of sexually assaulting a child in 2000.

"While Father Specht was uncovered not guilty, I however express my heartfelt and honest sorrow to any person who has suffered sexual abuse," Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge stated in the statement.

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The case was prosecuted by the Virginia Lawyer General's Workplace.

"Though dissatisfied in the end result, the Legal professional Normal is very pleased of his group for preventing for victims," Victoria LaCivita, a spokeswoman for Attorney Typical Jason Miyares, claimed in a assertion. "There are quite a few troubles that occur with prosecuting many years previous sexual assault situations, and our crew worked diligently to aid this victim and present them a voice."

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Specht had earlier confronted accusations of sexually abusing a teenage boy in the late 1990s, when he was a parochial vicar at St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax. He denied individuals allegations and was under no circumstances criminally billed. A Diocese evaluate board identified the allegation to be inconclusive.