The Crawford County district attorney has dropped molestation charges against a Catholic priest because the prosecutor says he misinterpreted a recent law expanding the statute of limitations for such crimes.
District Attorney Francis Schultz said he was wrong to file corruption of minors charges against Thomas E. Smith, 67, of Oil City for allegedly fondling a boy four times between 1968-70. The Catholic Church removed Smith as a priest in 2006.
In filing the charges last week, Schultz cited a law that took effect last year that extends the statute of limitations until the alleged victim turns 50. Schultz said the law isn't retroactive. The expanded limit applies only to incidents that occur after the new law took effect.
