A Catholic priest from Ohio pleaded guilty on Thursday to the rape of an altar boy over a three-year period in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, Father Geoff Drew, 59, will be sentenced to seven years in prison and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He will receive credit for approximately 27 months he has already spent in confinement.
Furthermore, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati stated it will seek his removal from the clergy. The plea came one day before jury selection was set to begin for his trial.
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Prosecutors stated the assaults took place in Drew's office at St. Jude Church while he served as music minister from 1988 to 1991.
The victim, now 41 years old, was 10 and 11 at the time. Speaking in court, the man told Drew he will have to answer to God for what he did. Drew declined to speak, but his attorney stated the defense had expressed remorse. The archdiocese announced it will request Drew's "laicization."
"Father Geoff Drew will never again have a priestly assignment in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati or in any other diocese," Archbishop Dennis Schnurr said in a statement.