Father Arko pleads guilty, gets his suspended sentence

An unrepentant Rev. Richard Arko pleaded guilty Tuesday to growing marijuana in a closet in his rectory, saying he hoped that someday it would not be a crime.

“I strongly believe in the benefits of marijuana and its use for medical purposes,” he said when asked by Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia Cosgrove why he had jeopardized everything he had worked so hard for by cultivating the drug. “For some time I have seen those benefits, and they are very helpful.”