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Authorities say a Catholic priest in a small Nebraska town has died after being attacked in a church.
OMAHA, Neb. – A Catholic priest in a small Nebraska town died Sunday after being attacked inside a church, authorities said.
The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell was attacked “during an attack” of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement Sunday.
Gutgsell was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died of his injuries, church officials said. Fort Calhoun, with a population of about 1,000, is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Omaha.
Police received a 911 call of an attempted burglary at the church shortly after 5 a.m. When police arrived, they found Gutgsell injured and charged with domestic assault. Authorities arrested the suspect, Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson said in a statement.
“This is an ongoing investigation, and the name of the suspect or the manner of death will not be released,” said Robinson.
In 2007, Gutgsell pleaded guilty to theft by deception for stealing $127,000 from an area church. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution. Later he was reassigned to another church. At the time, church leaders said Gutgsell had learned his lesson, admitted his mistake and sought forgiveness.
At the beginning of this year, his brother also admitted to Mr. Rev. Michael Gutgsell charged with theft. He was the administrator of the Omaha archdiocese from 1994 until 2003.
Robinson told WOWT-TV that authorities do not believe Stephen Gutgsell’s death is related to his criminal history. Robinson did not respond Sunday to questions on the topic from The Associated Press.
Archdiocese of Omaha spokesman Riley Johnson declined to comment beyond the confirmation of Stephen and Michael Gutgsell as brothers.