A court hearing in Nemaha County has been postponed but another in Douglas County still was set for today for a Catholic priest accused of improperly touching a teen-age boy.

In both counties, the Rev. Dennis E. Schmitz faces one felony count of indecent liberties with a child. The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office has said both cases involve the same alleged victim.

Schmitz, 41, of Marysville, is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Douglas County at 3 p.m. today.

After the hearing, a judge will determine whether the state has enough evidence to bind Schmitz over for trial.

The Nemaha County hearing was postponed until Monday. There, a complaint filed by County Atty. Brad Lippert accused Schmitz of fondling a 15-year-old between Jan. 1 and Aug. 1, 1999, at the S&S Ranch, about seven miles northwest of Seneca. Schmitz is its co-owner.

Members of Schmitz’s two parishes in Marshall County ex-pressed shock last month when the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas removed Schmitz from his duties.

Schmitz, who was ordained in 1989, became vocations director for the archdiocese in 1994 and served until last July, when he was assigned as pastor of St. Gregory’s parish in Marysville and St. Malachy’s parish in Beattie.

While vocations director, Schmitz lived in Lawrence. He was in charge of recruiting seminary students.

He also started the Runnin’ Revs, a group of basketball-playing priests.