More from Kalamazoo-
It took a jury less than 45 minutes to find the Rev. Jay R. Lawlor not guilty of assault and battery in a case involving a 74-year-old parishioner who Lawlor allegedly shoved after a March 6 service at St. Luke's Episcopal Church.
"I'm very relieved," Lawlor, 41, said about the verdict, which came after a daylong trial in Kalamazoo County District Court. "I feel vindicated.
"That's especially important because, as a member of the clergy, public reputation is everything," Lawlor said, adding that a guilty verdict could have undermined his career in the ministry.
Lawlor resigned three days after the incident, in which he was accused of forcing shoving Marcia Morrison, 74, as he hurriedly walked away from an argument with another parishioner.
A half-dozen witnesses testified that Lawlor pushed Morrison out of his way. Witnesses said the push was forceful enough to throw her off balance and make her stumbled several feet. She was not injured.
More here-
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/05/rev_jay_r_lawlor_found_not_gui.html
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