Retired priest already found guilty could stay out of jail

PITTSBURGH — A retired priest already found guilty on a felony count of unlawful contact with a minor appeared in court today, less than a week after his sentencing on the charges.

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An attorney for Father Hugh Lang, 89, is working to get the most serious charges dropped because of a procedural issue involving a previous lawyer and judge on the case.

“The commonwealth has a statute of limitations problem with the most serious charge." said Robert Mielnicki, Lang’s new defense attorney. "I’m going to assert that the statute of limitations in regard to the unlawful contact had run out long before father Lang was charged with the crime.”

The statute of limitations for that charge is 12 years, meaning charges can only be filed within 12 years of the crime. The allegations against Lang surfaced 19 years after the incident.

In court Tuesday, Lang’s previous attorney, Kerry Lewis, testified he had given a motion to dismiss the felony charge based on the amount of time that had passed to judge Mark Tranquilli on Nov. 6. Lewis filed it on Nov. 19 when the trial started after he got word nothing had been done.

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