Story Created:
Nov 12, 2009 at 7:49 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Nov 12, 2009 at 10:04 PM EDT
The Catholic Church sent the Rev. Francis Markey to the United States in 1982 to be treated for addiction.
As it turned out, the Irish priest reportedly spent far more time treating others.
Markey, 81, was arrested this week at his home on Miller Court in South Bend and is facing possible extradition to Ireland on charges that he raped a teenage boy there in 1968.
He moved to Michiana in 1990, five years after reportedly fleeing an addiction-treatment center in New Mexico, to take a job counseling drug and alcohol abusers in Niles, said Bob Truitt, a staff attorney with Federal Community Defenders who is representing the priest during the extradition proceedings.
Most recently, Markey worked at Community Healing Center in Niles from 2001 until poor health forced him to retire in March, said Sally Reimes, the organization’s chief executive officer.
Reimes said Thursday that the center was not aware of Markey’s reported history of addiction or the abuse charges against him until his arrest was reported this week.
Truitt said Markey told him that he completed a clinical educational program in Minnesota and also worked at the Betty Ford Center in California before moving to South Bend.
Markey is a legal U.S. resident, but he never became a citizen and does not have any family members in the United States, Truitt said.
Truitt said Federal Community Defenders chose to represent Markey because courts do not appoint lawyers to represent defendants in extradition cases.
“Based on his age, his health and his limited financial resources, we felt strongly he should have the services of an attorney,” Truitt said.
Markey is diabetic, survived a stroke and has a history of heart problems, Truitt said.
He is being held in the St. Joseph County Jail until Monday, when he is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court for a hearing to determine whether he will continue to be jailed or released with conditions until extradition proceedings begin, Truitt said.
Staff writer Kevin Allen:
kallen@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6244
