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  Ex-Priest a No-Show at Hudson Hearing

By Michaelangelo Conte
The Jersey Journal
March 23, 2006

http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/
news-1/1143123058306400.xml&coll=3

The defrocked Roman Catholic priest charged with trying to assault three people with an aluminum bat in a Secaucus hotel this month was to make his first appearance in court on the charges yesterday but didn't show up.

James T. Hanley, 69, was issued a summons by Secaucus police on a weapons offense and three counts of attempted aggravated assault on employees of Extended Stay America on March 10, officials said.

Although he was supposed to appear, it is the policy of Central Judicial Processing Court not to issue an arrest warrant unless there is evidence of "willful non-appearance," said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio.

Judge Dennis L. McGill said he does not issue warrants for people who fail to appear for initial hearings.

Hanley's case will probably be presented to a grand jury in May, and he would be required to appear in court if he is indicted, DeFazio said.

Hanley said the hotel manager refused to give him a room key until his bill was paid and out of frustration he smacked the desk with an aluminum bat, which he was using as a cane.

Hotel clerk Osei Karikari said at the time that Hanley did slam the bat on the front desk, but said the former priest became verbally abusive after the 23-year-old rebuffed his advances. Hanley offered him gifts, told him he was handsome and kissed him, Karikari said.

The first responding officer said he arrived to see Hanley swinging the bat and told him to drop it at gunpoint, police reports say. When Hanley did not drop the bat and began walking away, the officer kicked his leg out from under him and took him into custody, police report say.

Hanley was taken to Meadowview Medical Center in Secaucus for treatment of the leg, which he said he hurt previously in a fall, and was then processed on the charges, police said.

Hanley has admitted molesting dozens of boys, mostly at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Mendham, where he served from 1972 to 1982. The Paterson Diocese settled last year with 21 of his accusers, agreeing to pay $5 million in damages.

Hanley was not sued because he cooperated with the plaintiffs, and gave statements detailing the sex acts. He was never charged criminally for sex crimes because the statute of limitations had expired.

As a rule, charges as serious as attempted aggravated assault are issued in an arrest warrant, but a formal summons is sometimes used if the defendant is not a flight risk, DeFazio said.

 
 

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