Priest Fight For Freedom

March 25 - A former priest in prison for abusing altar boys is set to go free. Robert Larson is supposed to be released next week. Now there's a new fight to keep the 76-year-old off the streets. It's a fight some say isn't fair.

For years, Janet Patterson's son Eric hid a dark secret. Years ago while Larson was working as a priest at a Newton church, Eric became one of Larson's sexual victims. He was only 12-years-old. Eric killed himself in 1999 after admitting the truth.

A year later other victims came forward, Larson was finally put behind bars. Larson's attorney Dan Monnat and the state reached a plea agreement at that time. The agreement says the state will not seek to commit Larson to another facility after he's served his five-year sentence. Now the Attorney General's office says the agreement is invalid.

This has created a new battle for Larson and his attorney. Upholding the plea agreement gives Larson his freedom, but Monnat says denying it breaks a binding legal document.

Patterson and her husband err on the side of caution. She says, "In order to keep kids safe, grandkids safe, neighborhoods safe, we have to do this to protect our families."

Larson will stay in prison until a decision on the validity of his plea agreement is reached. That could require another trial to determine if he can still be considered a threat.