Man Arrested in Priest Revenge Beating

A man who was allegedly molested in 1975 by a priest was arrested on Friday for a revenge beating on his onetime captor. William Lynch, 43, lured Rev. Jerold Lindner to the lobby of a Jesuit retirement home and “was pretty close to beating him to death,” defense attorney Pat Harris told The Associated Press, calling it “the ultimate revenge story.” Lynch attacked the 65-year-old priest when he failed to recognize him at the Jesuits’ Sacred Heart retirement home in Los Gatos, California, according to a Santa Clara County sheriff's spokesman. Lynch and his younger brother settled with the Jesuits of the California Province, a Roman Catholic organization, for $625,000 in 1998 after claiming that Lindner abused them during several camping trips in 1975. Lynch and his younger brother were 7 and 5 at the time, and Lindner has been accused of abuse by almost a dozen people, including his own sister. Lynch was released on $25,000 bail and Lynch will reportedly plead not guilty at his arraignment next month.