Priest with Dayton, OH ties sentenced on drug charges in Covington, KY

[Ian David]

By Staff and Wire Reports

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

COVINGTON, Ky. — A Catholic priest with ties to Dayton, Ohio, was sentenced Tuesday to a supervised diversion program for his guilty pleas to drug possession charges, the Kentucky Post reported.

The Rev. Thomas Gaeke was sentenced by Kenton Circuit Judge Steven Jaeger to one year in the Kenton County Department of Corrections' drug treatment program, as well as six months probation on a drug paraphernalia charge — with conditions.

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Gaeke, 58, who now lives in Tampa, Fla., entered Alford pleas June 28 to a felony charge of drug possession (crack cocaine) and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The pleas meant Gaeke was not admitting guilt, but recognized that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him.

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Gaeke was ordained in 1975, but has been on medical leave from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati since 2000. Prior to that, he served in Dayton at St. Mary Church for eight years and at Holy Family Church for five years.

More:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/07/24/ddn072507priestweb.html