Catholic priest to face trial for stealing money from Johnson County parish

A Johnson County Roman Catholic priest on Friday was ordered to stand trial for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from his Gardner parish.

The Rev. Joseph Cramer waived a preliminary hearing in Johnson County District Court, where he is charged with felony theft and computer crime.

Not-guilty pleas were entered on his behalf, and he was ordered to return to court in December for a scheduling conference.

Cramer, 68, allegedly took more than $42,000 from Divine Mercy Parish in Gardner during a seven-month period in 2015 and 2016 while he was pastor, according to the documents.

The documents alleged that he lost more than $67,000 at area casinos during the same time period.