Kansas Catholic Priest Shawn Ratigan Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charges
The former priest Shawn Ratigan pleaded guilty to four counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempting to produce child pornography using girls as young as 2 years old. The photos were taken with still cameras and a cell phone. They included close-up pictures of the young girls' private areas.
If convicted, he faces 15-30 years in prison on each of the five counts. He was arrested last year.
David Ketchmark, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri said:
"When a defendant who wears a religious collar who has the trust of a community engages in conduct of this nature his crimes are more devastating and more reprehensible. He will face stiff mandatory penalties. He won't have an opportunity to harm another child."
The catholic priest admitted to the judge through his guilty pleas that he had produced child pornography using five girls from 2005 to 2009. Ratigan also admits the photos were taken in several location which included a church choir loft.The Huffington Post reported:
A technician working on the priest's computer found hundreds of "troubling images" on the laptop in December 2010 and reported them to the diocese, which confronted Ratigan. The next day, Ratigan failed to show up for 8:30 a.m. Mass and was found in his garage, his motorcycle running and a suicide note nearby apologizing for any harm he had caused.
Ratigan had been known by members of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph as a fun-loving priest who had a special fondness for recording children's parties and events with his camera, says The Church Report.
Outrage grew when it became known that Bishop Robert Finn and other Diocese officials were aware of Ratigan's photos - found on his laptop computer - in December 2010, but failed to notify authorities for several months.Here's yet another priest being punished for his misdeeds to his church family and community who looked up to him. This Ratigan character doesn't fit the image of a priest but more like a motorcycle gang member.
And though Finn ordered Ratigan to stay away from children, no warnings were issued to parents, and Ratigan did subsequently engage in activities with children before another Diocese official finally reported the situation to police in May 2011.
Both Finn and the Diocese are now facing criminal charges for failing to report the photos they found on Ratigan's laptop computer. Finn is the highest-ranking Catholic official to face criminal charges in connection with a sexual abuse case involving a priest.
