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Priest Accused of Abusing Boys Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse ABC 13 April 27, 2007 http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=nation_world&id=5250186 Joliet, IL — A Catholic priest previously convicted of child molestation has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two teenage brothers in the 1990s. Louis Rogge, 76, of Joliet pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Under a deal with prosecutors, he will likely serve 30 days in jail and four years of probation. He had faced a sentence of three to seven years in prison. The Will County State's Attorney's office accused Rogge of abusing the first boy in 1996, when he was 15, and the second in 1999, when he also was 15. Rogge was a longtime family friend and spiritual adviser for the boys, prosecutors said. In 1974, Rogge pleaded guilty to charges of child molestation in Athens, Ga., and was sentenced to six years probation, officials said. Rogge, a priest with the Carmelite Order, was removed from public ministry in 2002 when the church learned about his decades-old sexual molestation conviction, officials said. A Will County judge accepted Rogge's guilty plea and ordered a sex-offender evaluation. Prosecutors said Rogge has had a heart attack and requires ongoing care. "It's an appropriate disposition in the case," said Charles Pelkie, spokesman for State's Atty. James Glasgow. "He's in his 70s, and we consulted with the family members on this." Rogge's sentencing is set for July 26. |
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