In the absence of any other evidence one must weight the risk to the community when determining if a man accused of a horrible crime should go free. I am happy to see that the judge in the William Bendert case saw the potential for harm and determine the pedopastor should stay in jail.
Concluding that a Lutheran pastor could be a danger to children and himself, a federal magistrate ordered Tuesday that the pastor remain jailed until trial on charges that he offered to be a sex coach for minor girls over the Internet.
Read more: Pastor to remain jailed in sex case
It’s a hard call, especially when the accused has no criminal record. You must weigh the gravity of the crime. Bendert’s crime was potentially life changing if he had been able to teach a young girl the ropes. I wonder in cases like this who his parishioners feel? I imagine that no amount of hot water and soup can cleans the stain from their souls (if they had one!).
