The sad tale of suspended Roman Catholic priest Rodney Rodis has seen its climax, or perhaps nader, as the disgraced reverend from Louisa was recently sentenced to 13 years in prison for embezzling $432,000 from two parishes.
Rodis, in something straight out of a crime novel, was living a double life — taking donations intended for the church and investing them in an upscale waterfront property in his native Philippines. In addition, he was hiding a real family from his church family; the reverend had a wife and three children, something that’s generally frowned upon for priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond.
To paraphrase the Bible, we are all sinners. We all fall short. Yet those in positions of spiritual authority are called to a higher standard of accountability. At the least, a man of the cloth must be able to be trusted to obey the law.
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If you plan on visiting Coffeewood Correctional Center in Mitchells, be sure to leave your weapons and contraband at home. And make sure your drivers license is up to date.
Those are the lessons 41 visitors found out the hard way after being cited for various offenses during a recent two-day sting. Fifteen were found to be there with just suspended drivers licenses, but another 13 had drugs or paraphernalia on them and another four had firearms or ammunition.
The things people do.
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Culpeper County's courthouse is getting a new look, one that will also make it more efficient.
The project already has $1.1 million set aside for it — a huge plus in these tough economic times — and it will meet a pressing need by adding a second courtroom to accommodate the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. The project also addresses security and traffic flow issues that come up on an almost daily basis.
We commend the county for thinking ahead and having a nest egg saved for the renovations. We look forward to seeing our improved, renovated courthouse.
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