Assailant of Priest Seeks to Avoid Jail
BALTIMORE — A man charged with shooting a priest he says molested him as a teenager asked Roman Catholic Church officials to support probation instead of prison if he is convicted.
The lawyer for Dontee Stokes, 26, said his client deserves leniency because state prosecutors and the church failed to take strong action in 1993, when Stokes first brought abuse accusations against Father Maurice Blackwell.
Cardinal William Keeler has written that he regrets reinstating Blackwell in 1993 and has publicly apologized to Stokes and his family.
In exchange for the Baltimore Archdiocese’s support, Stokes would publicly forgive Blackwell and express forgiveness toward the Catholic Church, lawyer Warren Brown wrote.
In a response, Keeler said he was grateful that Stokes and Brown were “looking for an atmosphere that fosters reconciliation and healing.”
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