Former Catholic Priest Gets 10 Years' Probation For Criminal Sexual Conduct
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A former Catholic priest was sentenced Monday to 10 years' probation for criminal sexual conduct.
Thirty-five-year-old Jacob Andrew Bertrand reached a plea deal in January whereby he pleaded guilty to one count of third degree criminal sexual conduct and a second count was dismissed.
According to Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom, as part of the plea deal, Bertrand received a stay of adjudication of sentence, meaning if he successfully completes his probation, his charges will be dismissed and a conviction will not appear on his criminal record.
A judge also ordered Bertrand to pay a $1,000 fine and undergo a sex offender assessment.
Backstrom said the plea deal was reached with the consent of the victim.
Bertrand was an ordained Catholic priest in San Diego, California. The criminal sexual conduct occurred in 2010 when Bertrand was providing a private mass for a woman in the basement of her parent's home in Mendota Heights.
"It is a felony under Minnesota law for any member of the clergy to have sexual relations with an individual who is not their spouse, during the course of a meeting in which religious or spiritual advice, aid, or comfort is given, or while ongoing religious or spiritual advice, aid, or comfort is occurring," Backstrom said when Bertrand was charged.
If Bertrand violates his probation, he could face four years in prison, according to the county attorney.