Alleged O'Brien stalker leaves facility

BOSTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The Massachusetts priest accused of stalking TV personality Conan O'Brien is absent without permission from a medical treatment facility, church officials said.

A New York judge in April ordered the Rev. David Ajemian, a 48-year-old Catholic priest from Boston, to stay away from the talk-show host for two years after Ajemian pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.

In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the initial, more serious charges of aggravated harassment and stalking, allowing Ajemian to avoid trial and potential jail time.

The priest admitted in court that he sent letters, postcards and packages to O'Brien's home, to his parents and to the New York studio where O'Brien tapes his show.

He was put on leave by the Boston Archdiocese last November and has been undergoing medical treatment for several months at an out-of-state medical facility.

WCVB-TV, Boston, reported Thursday, however, that Ajemian checked himself out of the facility against the wishes of both his doctors and his superior, Cardinal Sean O'Malley.

"Ajemian was instructed to remain at an out-of-state residential treatment facility indefinitely to receive the care he requires. By his own actions, he has violated this mandate from his bishop. Therefore, he is absent without permission. He is not authorized to function as a priest," the Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement issued to WCVB-TV.