NE Priest Pleads Not Guilty To Rape
February 19, 2019 8:50AM CST
ORD, Neb. (AP) – A May trial has been scheduled for a Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting a woman in central Nebraska. Valley County District Court records say the Rev. John Kakkuzhiyil entered a written plea of not guilty Monday to a charge of forcible sexual assault. His trial is set to begin May 6. The woman who accused him has obtained a protection order against the cleric. She says he assaulted her in November when she went to his Ord home on business. She says she blacked out after having a couple of drinks with him. The Grand Island Diocese says Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt placed Kakkuzhiyil on leave Dec. 15 upon learning that the Nebraska State Patrol was investigating the allegations.
