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BRIEF: Former priest accused of sexually abusing boy in Saratoga County

The Daily Gazette - 9/6/2017

Sept. 06--BALLSTON SPA -- A former Catholic priest was arraigned Tuesday in Saratoga County Court on charges that accuse him of sexually abusing a teenage boy in Charlton earlier this year, prosecutors said.

Michael Hands, 51, of the Washington County town of Easton, was convicted previously of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy in Suffolk County.

Hands now faces a nine-count indictment that includes use of a child in a sexual performance, a class C felony that carries a sentence of five to 15 years upon conviction; first-degree disseminating indecent materials to minors, a class D felony; and four counts of third-degree criminal sex act, a class E felony, District Attorney Karen Heggen said.

Some of the sentences could run consecutively, if he is convicted, she said.

Hands is accused of meeting a boy online and making arrangements to meet him in Charlton "where it's alleged that those crimes occurred" on July 23 and 24, Heggen said. He was charged July 24 by state police, but the arrest was not publicized.

Hands was formerly a priest in the Diocese of Rockville Center. He served 15 months in prison after being convicted in 2003.

He moved to Washington County in 2013.

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