LITTLE FERRY, N.J. (AP) — Prosecutors say a priest accused of pointing a functioning musket at a young boy in a New Jersey church is free after posting $15,000 cash bail. Authorities say the incident may have been spurred by a football rivalry.
The Rev. Kevin Carter is charged with child endangerment and aggravated assault by pointing a firearm.
Both charges against the 54-year-old priest stem from a Sept. 13 incident at St. Margaret of Cortona Roman Catholic Church in Little Ferry.
Bergen County prosecutors say that when the 8-year-old boy and his family arrived for a service, Carter asked to see him in one of the rectory’s rooms and had him stand against a wall. The priest then allegedly took the unloaded musket and pointed it at the boy with an indication he would shoot.
It wasn’t clear if Carter has retained an attorney. A message left for him at the church on Saturday afternoon was not immediately returned.
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