By Associated Press - Thursday, February 9, 2017

BRANDENBURG, Ky. (AP) - A Louisville priest convicted of sexually abusing a boy at a summer camp he used to run has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Media report the judge followed a jury’s recommendation when handing down the sentence on Thursday for The Rev. Joseph Hemmerle, who maintained his innocence during the hearing.

Hemmerle was convicted in a November trial in Meade County on one count of indecent or immoral practices with a child under 15.

Hemmerle, who is 74, was charged with committing the offenses at his Catholic summer camp in the 1970s. The Archdiocese of Louisville put Hemmerle on leave when accusations first surfaced in 2014.

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