One Detective from the Sheriff’s Office is specifically assigned to the case, and it is the intention of the Sheriff’s Office to submit a report to the District Attorney within the next 30 days.
Father Kelly has been under investigation since September for accusations he abused a former altar boy at a San Andreas Church.
A now-37-year-old Fairfax man alleges Kelly molested
him in the mid-1980s, when he was an altar boy at Church of the
Annunciation in Stockton, and the Stockton Diocese hid the misconduct.
A jury on April 6 found Kelly liable on three counts
for assault, sexual battery and abuse. The Stockton Diocese immediately
removed Kelly from ministry following the verdict.
The former priest was scheduled to testify during the second phase of the case but fled to Ireland days before,
citing health issues related to stress as a reason for his sudden
departure. In the second phase of the trial, the jury will
determine whether there is enough evidence to hold the Stockton Diocese
liable for damages.
Kelly’s flight will not affect the Calaveras County criminal investigation, according to Hewitt.
“This investigation will continue until it’s
completed,” he said. “We’ll see where it goes from there and whether
that involves the district attorney getting an arrest warrant.”
Case background information source Union Democrat
