Michael Guidry, a priest who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with three years suspended, after pleading guilty to molestation of a child has been released from prison. Guidry had been convicted of sexually assaulting at teenage boy was serving just one year of his sentence when he was released due to COVID-19.
His Defense counsel requested an emergency appeal, claiming that he was at risk to developing COVID019 during this pandemic.
Guidry’s attorney held a video conference wit the court and waived Guidry’s right to p\appear while submitting an appeared before the court through video emergency motion for bail, which the court granted and set at $10,000 over objections from state prosecutors.
This caused an uproar from other Survivors of clergy sex abuse who demanded accountability.
“This perp is a dangerous perpetrator and what does that say to the individual he sexually abused? I don’t care how long ago it was,” said Kevin Bourgeois, a survivor of clergy abuse and volunteer leader of the Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests in New Orleans. Bourgeois is disturbed that convicted priest Michael Guidry is out on house arrest.
Judge Alonzo Harris who was the same judge who sentenced Guidry to 10 years last year was the judge who approved bail. At the time, Judge Harris said “there are some things in life you just can’t tolerate and one is sexual abuse on our children by priests.”
Bourgeois said, “I don’t have any compassion towards child sex abusers. I’m sorry. I’m supposed to be better at that, but I’m not and there is a reason for that. They put children through hell and then live a lifetime of living in secret. If there is a priest behind bars, he should stay behind bars.”
