A Catholic priest convicted of sexual abuse charges that occurred at a summer camp he ran in Kentucky has failed to win an early release from prison.
The Kentucky Parole Board voted instead to give R. Joseph Hemmerle a 24-month deferment, meaning the board will consider his case again in two years.
Kentucky Department of Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Lamb said Thursday that the two-person panel unanimously agreed on the 24-month deferment. Hemmerle was sentenced to seven years in prison in February in one abuse case, and was given an additional two-year sentence in June in another case.
Both victims say they were abused by Hemmerle at a summer camp about an hour west of Louisville, Kentucky. Hemmerle ran the camp for decades.
Hemmerle is being held at Green River Correctional Complex.
