Mass. deacon pleads to drug allegations
LOWELL, Mass.—A popular church deacon and jail chaplain has admitted to sufficient facts to charges that he smuggled drugs into Middlesex County jails.
William Emerson entered his plea to three charges of delivering drugs to a prisoner, but avoided jail. A judge instead continued the 67-year-old Emerson's case without a finding until October 2013.
Admitting to sufficient facts means the defendant acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict.
Emerson, a longtime deacon St. William Roman Catholic Church in Tewksbury, previously said he brought prescription painkillers to the jail because he was being blackmailed by inmates who threatened to disclose that he had gay pornography on his computer.
The Sun of Lowell (http://bit.ly/ye1Kng) reports he was also ordered to stay away from the jails and perform 100 hours of community service.
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Information from: The Sun, http://www.lowellsun.com
