Bail set for ex-Archbishop Ryan High president

The Rev. Charles Newman, former president of Archbishop Ryan High School, was arraigned last night on theft and forgery charges. His bail was set at $50,000.

Newman, a Franciscan friar who led Philadelphia's largest Roman Catholic high school, was accused of stealing $900,000 from the school and providing drugs and money to a former student he allegedly molested.

The preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday

The multiple charges include felony counts with maximum penalties of 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines.

Newman, 57, led Archbishop Ryan from July 2002 to November 2003. It is Philadelphia's largest Roman Catholic High School.

Recently, Newman had been living in a Wisconsin friary.