Former California Priest Sentenced for Minnesota Sex Crime

ST. PAUL (AP) -- A former Roman Catholic priest has been sentenced to 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to illegal sexual contact with a Mendota Heights woman during a private Mass.

35-year-old Jacob Bertrand had pleaded guilty in January to one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dismissed a second count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Bertrand was sentenced Monday. If he violates any conditions of his probation, he could be sent to prison for four years.

Bertrand had been a priest in San Diego but was placed on leave by the Catholic Church in California. The Mendota Heights woman reported the conduct to church officials in 2012 and 2014, and Bertrand was charged in 2016.