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Ex-priest pleads innocent to rape

LEOMINSTER, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Former Roman Catholic priest Robert Kelley pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of raping a girl during a six-year span in the early 1980s, beginning when the child was just 4 years old.

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Kelley, 60, entered the plea in Leominster District Court. He is charged with two counts of child rape committed at a time when he was a priest at St. Cecilia's Parish in Leominster. He has not served as a priest since 1985.

Kelley is accused of raping Heather Mackey in encounters that started when she was 4 years old and continued until she was 10.

Mackey said she was relieved to see the former priest in court. "To see him in there with the handcuffs on was the best feeling I've had in a long time. Finally, he was the one with his hands tied that couldn't help himself," she said. "It was very empowering for us to see him as the helpless one."

Bail was set at $200,000 during the arraignment. However, hours later, during a bail reduction hearing, a judge overturned the original bail amount and released Kelley on his own recognizance on the condition he not have contact with the alleged victim or any children under the age of 16.

There was no immediate comment from Mackey about his release.

Kelley previously spent five years in jail from 1992 to 1997 on charges of assault with intent to rape in another case.