Orthodox bishop rejects plea agreement in fondling case

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — An Orthodox bishop accused of groping a woman’s breast at a northern Michigan casino rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge.

Bishop Demetri Khoury of Toledo, Ohio, rejected an offer Friday to plead guilty to attempted fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and pay travel costs for the alleged victim, who had to come from another state to attend an earlier court hearing.

Khoury, 55, is scheduled for trial Feb. 26 on charges of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and being drunk and disorderly.

Michigan authorities said the incident involving the woman was recorded July 9 on the Turtle Creek Casino’s video surveillance system.

If convicted of the sex charge, the bishop faces as much as two years in jail, a $500 fine and mandatory HIV/sexually transmitted disease testing. The drunk and disorderly charge carries a 90-day sentence and/or fine of $500.

Khoury is assigned to the Toledo Chancery of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, where he oversees the church in eight states and Ontario. Shortly after his arrest, Metropolitan Philip, head of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, temporarily barred Khoury from preaching or performing liturgies. Khoury also was ordered to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse.

A native of Ramallah, in the West Bank, Khoury was ordained as a priest in 1975 and consecrated as a bishop in March 1995. He oversees about 45 churches in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky, West Virginia and Ontario.