Former St. Jerome priest, teacher sentenced to prison for child sexual abuse
A Philadelphia judge Wednesday sentenced a former St. Jerome priest and a teacher to prison for the sexual assault of a young boy that took place nearly 15 years ago.
Before a packed courtroom, Common Pleas Court Judge Ellen Ceisler handed Rev. Charles Engelhardt six to 12 years in jail. Bernard Shero, a former teacher at the Holme Circle parish, received eight to 16 years behind bars.
Both men addressed Ceisler before being sentenced. Each maintained their innocence.
Engelhardt, 66, choked up at times as he reviewed his four-plus decades of service as a priest and said he had “no recollection” of the victim, who was abused when he was 10 and an altar boy at St. Jerome’s.
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