Judge To Decide If Monsignor William Lynn Remains On House Arrest Or Returns To Prison
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philadelphia District Attorney's office will ask a judge today to send Monsignor William Lynn back to prison, now that the State Supreme Court has reinstated his 2012 child endangerment conviction.
The DA's office wants Common Pleas Judge Teresa Sarmina, the presiding judge who sentenced Lynn to three-to-six years in prison, to revoke his bail.
He spent about 18 months in prison, but has been on house arrest since early 2014, living in a Northeast Philadelphia rectory after Superior Court reversed his conviction.
Lynn served in his capacity as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, yet defense attorney Thomas Bergstrom says he was prosecuted on an amended child endangerment statute passed in 2007.
In reversing Superior Court, the State Supreme Court ruled that Lynn could be held responsible for the welfare of children in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the State Supreme Court remanded the appeal on legal and factual issues to Superior Court.