A CATHOLIC PRIEST ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY BATTERY ON A NOKOMIS TEENAGE BOY HAD HIS BAIL REDUCED AT A HEARING YESTERDAY. PUBLISHED REPORTS SAY 54 YEAR OLD WILLIAM WERT HAS BEEN IN JAIL WITHOUT BAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 4TH, AND HIS ATTORNEY AND THE PROSECUTOR WENT BACK AND FOURTH OVER JUST HOW MUCH THE BAIL SHOULD BE IN HIS CASE. ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY DAWN BUFF ASKED FOR BAIL TO BE $290,000 SINCE WERT HAS HIRED AN ATTORNEY THROUGH THE CARMELITE, BUT WERT’S ATTORNEY JIM DIRMANN WAS LOOKING MORE IN THE $50,000 RANGE, SAYING WERT IS POOR AND HAS LESS THAN $6000 TO HIS NAME, WHICH MAKES HIM A MINIMAL FLIGHT RISK. JUDGE ROCHELLE CURLEY RULED THAT BAIL BE SET AT $190,000. THE FATHER OF THE 14 YEAR OLD BOY FOUND INAPROPRIATE MESSAGES ON HIS SON’S PHONE AND ALERTED AUTHORITIES IN LATE JANUARY. DETECTIVES SAID THEIR INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT WERT AND THE BOY HAD SEX NUMEROUS TIMES IN MANY PLACES, INCLUDING WERT’S HOME IN VENICE AND IN A MOTEL ROOM.
