Freethought Today, May 1995
Black Collar Crimes
This is an excerpt of the "Black Collar Crimes" section of the May 1995 issue of Freethought Today. For space reasons, all stories involving non-settled arrests, charges, and lawsuits have been removed.
Arizona
Diocese Settles Lawsuit
A Scottsdale couple whose son was molested by a priest 8 years ago settled secretly out of court with the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, avoiding a potentially embarrassing trial for the diocese. The boy's parents filed suit in 1990, reporting that the diocese ignored reports that their son was molested at cabin owned by Rev. George Bredemann and used for informal youth retreats. The boy later molested other children and was sent to a juvenile-detention facility. Bredemann had pleaded guilty to attempted child molestation of the boy and 2 brothers in 1989, and was sentenced to 1 year in jail and lifetime probation. A lawsuit filed by the parents of the brothers was settled out of court in 1991. Source: Arizona Republic, 8/5/94
Latter-Day Dad Sued
A Mormon bishop, Arlo Kay Atkin, 38, who was excommunicated from the church for sexual misconduct, is being sued by a Mesa woman who says their sexual relationship beginning when she was 15 resulted in a pregnancy and a child, now 4. The suit alleges negligence by the church in trusting him with minors. Atkin, now of Ventura, CA, pleaded guilty in February 1991 to sexual contact with the woman and was sentenced to 4 months in jail. Source: Arizona Republic, 7/8/94
California
Incestuous Baptist A Repeat Offender
Baptist minister Jon L. Walker, 45, pleaded guilty to molesting a female relative, age 9, while free on bail awaiting a new trial for sexual molestation. Walker had served 2 years and 4 months in prison following his June 1992 trial and conviction for molesting and raping a teenage relative several times over 2 years. An appellate court reversed that conviction in February 1994, ruling that the judge had erred in rejecting requests to investigate allegations of juror misconduct. While free on bail awaiting a new trial, Walker was arrested and charged with molesting the 9 year old. Walker subsequently accepted a plea bargain sentence of 6 years and 8 months. Sources: San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune, 6/22/94; 2/15/94
Two "Father Figure" Pastors Convicted
A pastor of San Jose's 6,000-member Jubilee Christian Center, the largest church in San Jose, was convicted of 15 counts of child molestation. David Brimmer, 40, faces a maximum of 20 years and 8 months in prison for the molestations of boys, ages 11-16, during sleepovers at his home.
Pablo Geraldo Boas, 29, Brimmer's former roommate and fellow pastor, pleaded guilty to 8 felony counts of child molestation and will spend 3 years in prison. One boy, 16, said Boas had sexual contact with him 20-30 times, once forcefully pinning him down and fondling him. Police suspect there were at least 12 additional victims who have not come forward. "It's been real hard to get these boys to talk about their involvement because they looked upon both of these guys as father figures," said Sgt. Chester Pridgeon. Sources: San Francisco Chronicle, 2/9/95, 1/20/95; Mercury News, 12/7/93, 2/9/95
'Sorry' Priest Sentenced
Although a St. Anthony's Seminary priest, Rev. Robert Van Handel, apologized to the court for sexually molesting a choir boy, 14, while he was the leader of the Santa Barbara Boys Choir, he received the maximum sentence of 8 years in prison. The judge reprimanded him for using his position of power to feed his pedophilia. Paul Smith, the father of 2 of Van Handel's victims, told the court that the priest could perform communion one minute, and deliver sexual abuse the next. "He participated in the baptism of my daughter and raped two of my sons," Smith said. "We are grateful we did not have more sons, or he would have raped them as well." Van Handel was the second St. Anthony's priest convicted of felony child abuse. Philip Wolf, who hanged himself after completing his probation, was sentenced to 1 year in jail in 1989 after pleading no contest to a charge of oral copulation and fondling a child. Sources: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA), 8/13/94; Santa Barbara News-Press, 8/13/94
Priest Hangs Himself
A Santa Barbara priest, Philip Wolfe, 40, who had pleaded no contest to engaging in oral sex with a minor in 1989, hanged himself in his apartment shortly after completing his probation. Wolfe, a boys choir leader and teacher at St. Anthony's Seminary, was sentenced to a year in jail and 5 years probation. His conviction initiated the investigations that exposed the sexual abuse of 34 boys by 12 priests at the seminary between 1964 and 1987. Source: AP,11/11/94
Reagan's Minister Resigns
The minister who led prayers at both of Ronald Reagan's inaugurations, Rev. Donn Moomaw, 63, secretly resigned in 1993 because of "sexual contact" with 5 women while he was pastor of Bel Air Presbyterian Church, according to the church. The women have not filed lawsuits against Moomaw or the church for the abuse that took place between 1983-1992. The church cited his crossing over the "line of acceptable behavior" as reason for his resignation. Source: Los Angeles Times, 3/15/95
Wrong Number
For a woman suffering from depression and chronic fatigue syndrome, 1-800-HELP4ME was definitely the wrong number. The woman, 26, who had been abused as a child, dialed the Christian Therapy hotline in 1992 after hearing their offer of help on a religious radio station and was referred to Dr. James Lisle. Lisle is now serving a year in jail for violating a state law that prohibits therapists from sexual contact with their patients.
"This is one of the worst cases I've ever heard of," said Gerald Davis, a professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. "He played on her faith, he used his position to invoke God." The hotline worker who answered her call told her Lisle was the most "godly" therapist there. "He kept saying, 'You're so pure!' He knew I was a virgin. Then he told me to sit on his lap and touch him wherever I wanted to. He said, 'You'll never learn to trust people if you don't touch me,' " she said. A jury found him guilty and Lisle is serving a 1 year sentence for having sex with the woman, who is pregnant. Lisle lost his counseling license on Dec. 21 under a decision by the Behavioral Science Board in Sacramento. Sources: Orange County Register, 8/22/94; Press-Telegram, 12/6/94
Secret Father Reinstated
San Francisco Roman Catholic Bishop John Cummins reinstated Rev. John Gilmore, 41--who arranged to pay child support for the 2 children he secretly fathered with one of his parishioners--due to a lack of "young, popular priests." "[Supporters] regard this [reinstatement] as consistent with the Church's proclamation of the Gospel of forgiveness, and the fact that the Lord chooses imperfect witnesses to accomplish his work," Cummins said.
A friend of the mother, Nancy Bienville, expressed her anger at the church's attempt to cover up the incident and not provide proper counseling. "Through all these extremely emotional times, where was the church that she grew up believing in and trusting her very soul to? They were busy trying to keep a secret," she said. "Is the church embarrassed that another one of its deep dark secrets was found out? Is it embarrassed that it uses fear, guilt and shame as a way to control situations?" Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 11/23/94
Episcopal Priest Imprisoned
An Episcopal priest of Palmdale, Robert. L. Ducker, 63, received the maximum sentence of 12 years in prison for repeatedly molesting 2 parishioner boys. Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 6/26/94
Colorado
Man Says Priest Infected Him
A Boulder man who filed suit against Rev. Delbert Blong for infecting him with the HIV virus has settled out-of-court with the Pueblo Catholic Diocese for an undisclosed sum of money. Thomas Perea, 37, filed the suit in 1993, saying Blong transmitted the virus to him during their 22-year sexual relationship that began when Blong was his parish priest in Alamosa. Blong, 68, who admitted having sex with Perea, filed a counter-claim that says Perea transmitted the virus to him. Source: The Chieftain, 12/16/94
Connecticut
Molesting Deacon On The Move!
A Catholic deacon, who was sentenced under a plea bargain in January 1994 to 5 years probation for molesting a boy, 14, will be allowed to seek employment opportunities in Maryland, a judge said. Terry Manspeaker, 39, cannot leave Connecticut until his probation has been transferred to Maryland authorities. The judge ordered Manspeaker to enroll in a program for sex offenders within a week of his move. Source: Valley Times, 1/27/95
Florida
Church Liability Questioned
Lawsuits filed against 2 Central Florida priests claim the church concealed child abuse, failed to report it to legal authorities and shuffled problem priests from parish to parish.
In a case dating to 1986, the Catholic Diocese of Orlando recently paid $250,000 in an out-of-court settlement to the family of a girl, 12, who was fondled by Rev. Eamon O'Dowd, according to arbitrators. "You violated the trust of a friend, the emotional need of a parishioner and the trust of a child," arbitrators told O'Dowd before they ordered the church to compensate the victim. The family had agreed to arbitration through a Christian group because prosecutors had dropped the criminal charges in 1984 because of "real questions" about evidence. Testimony during the arbitration hearing divulged that 2 other girls had complained that O'Dowd touched their breasts but his supervisor did not report the incidents. Source: AP/Orlando Sentinel, 2/26/95
Christian Academy Coach Sentenced
A teacher, athletic director, counselor and coach at Bethel Christian Academy in Cocoa was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison, followed by 10 years probation for the kidnapping and sexual battery of a student, 13. Daniel Perdue was arrested outside a motel in Vero Beach. Perdue must pay for his victim's counseling and is forbidden to ever hold a position of authority over minors. Source: Florida Today, 8/9/94
Illinois
Diocese Settles Suit
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet agreed to an out-of-court settlement involving a teenager who was molested by a priest, Myles Patrick White, from 1989 to 1991. The "six-figure sum" will remove the diocese from any further civil action, according to a source. White is serving a 4 year sentence in prison for molesting the boy. Source: Chicago Sun-Times, 12/2/94
Hal's Under Lock And Key
An Aurora mail-order minister who also owned Hal's Lock & Key locksmith business will be under prison lock & key after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a girl, 10. Harvey Lee "Hal" Sechler, 53, who operated Universal Life Church out of his home, admitted to molesting the girl whom he babysat in 1993. Sechler had previously admitted having repeated sexual relations with his daughter when she was 4-12 years old. Although no charges were ever brought in that case, his daughter was placed in a Kane County orphan home. Records also show that Sechler once sold child pornography at Hal's Food Store in Montgomery before child pornography was illegal in Illinois. Source: Chicago Tribune, 8/3/94
Sexual Misconduct Costs 'Deprive' Church?
The Chicago Roman Catholic church reported it spent $4.3 million on sexual misconduct costs during the fiscal year 1994. The archdiocesan newspaper New World reported that those costs do "not involve current claims" but incidents that "happened years ago." "These figures show the magnitude of the problem," said David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). "It's easy for some Catholics to dismiss SNAP as a small group of hurting people. But these kind of expenditures show how widespread the problem is." As Joseph Cardinal Bernardin charged, the money put toward the legal fees, settlements, professional outreach to victims, and treatment for abusive priests "deprives (the archdiocese) of resources that are needed for evangelization in its many forms and other purposes." Source: Chicago Sun-Times, 1/22/95
Tenth Priest Removed In Bellevue
Rev. Daniel Friedman became the 10th priest relieved of duties in the Belleville Catholic Diocese due to reports of sexual abuse. The pastor of St. Paul's Catholic Church, Vienna, IL, and chaplain at Camp Ondessonk in southern Illinois, was removed from parish work and ordered to keep away from children by Bishop Wilton Gregory. Nine priests and a deacon were removed since March 1993 and another priest resigned voluntarily following allegations. Bishop Gregory admitted that the vicar general of the diocese had recommended removal of Friedman from the summer camp in 1988, but that no action was taken by then-Bishop James P. Keleher, now archbishop of Kansas City, KS. The camp's founder and former director, Rev. Robert Vonnahmen, was also removed from parish work last year after sexual abuse reports. Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/3/94; 7/2/94
Davis Appeal Denied
The Illinois Supreme Court denied the second appeal of a Christian Fellowship Church's founder and pastor, L.R. Davis, who already appealed his 31-year prison sentence for sexually abusing 2 boys to the Illinois Appellate Court. Davis' attorney issued a press release that stated the introduction of physical evidence would show that no crime had been committed and included a petition signed by 6,600 people asking for a compassionate re-evaluation of his case. Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, 7/9-10/94; News-Sun, 10/18/94
Iowa
Beets Beat
The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the conviction of a Cedar Rapids minister, who is serving a 2-year sentence in prison for the sexual assault. Wendell Beets, of the Sound Doctrine Church of God in Christ, was convicted in December 1993 of assaulting a female parishioner, 20, while they were alone in his van on a gravel road. Source: Cedar Rapids Gazette, 3/30/95
Kentucky
Court Upholds Strange Conviction
The Kentucky Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Baptist minister John R. Strange, who decapitated his wife, buried the head and set fire to the torso in May 1990. In October 1991, Strange was sentenced to 65 years in prison but had appealed. Source: Lexington Kentucky Herald Leader, 6/26/94
Michigan
Mormon Bishop's Clerk Convicted
A Mormon bishop's clerk, Bruce A. McAskill, 66, with a past rape conviction, faces a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison after a judge found him guilty of kissing and fondling a boy, 8, whom he was babysitting. The boy's mother attended McAskill's church. A police officer who was called to the scene said McAskill told him "he didn't see any problem" with an adult sleeping naked with a child. Source: Jackson Citizen Patriot, 10/25/94
Holy Childhood Hell
The Holy Childhood of Jesus School, a boarding school in Harbor Springs run by the School Sister of Notre Dame, shut down 11 years ago, but the memories of sexual, physical and emotional abuse linger in the minds of numerous Native Americans who say they lost their ambitions there. Nine men, now in their 30s and 40s, said 2 unnamed nuns committed sex acts, ranging from fondling to intercourse, in the 1960s and early 1970s. One man, now 36, still feels ashamed at having lost his virginity at 12 to a nun. Nuns also reportedly would drape urine-soaked sheets over the heads of bed-wetters and call them "black savages" and "heathens." Sources: Jackson Citizen Patriot, 7/17/94; The Milwaukee Journal, 7/27/94
Minnesota
Victim Became Villain
A new lawsuit settled by the family of a minister's sexual abuse victim, 16, exposed more about the sordid past of Wayne Vetter, now serving a 7.5-year prison sentence. Attorneys for neither side would disclose the settlement sum, but the victim's attorney said Church Mutual, the church's insurer, would pay under $500,000. Cloquet police said they suspect Vetter left a trail of about 100 victims during his 22 years in the ministry. Vetter's victim was characterized as the villain who was unwilling to forgive the pastor who made a mistake. While one of his Cloquet victims was hospitalized after a suicide threat, Vetter continued to sexually molest the other boy. "I thought I was helping him to cope with what had happened to his friend," he said.
The victim's family lawsuit hinges on the charge that Rev. Todd Mattson, associate pastor, found Vetter with the boy 3 times late at night in the church with the lights off during the 7-month span of abuse, but didn't immediately report the abuse. He called his bishop after the third time who then contacted local authorities. "(Vetter) promoted himself as a leader against child abuse in the community. People didn't want to believe that this man they had in their homes and prayed with would do this sort of thing. I cannot give this man one ounce of sympathy," said Cloquet Police Sgt. Dennis Randelin, who was a member of Vetter's congregation. Source: Duluth News-Tribune, 9/25/94, 2/28/95
Porter's Victims Win Damages
Twenty-one abuse victims who charged that former Catholic priest James R. Porter, 59, molested them 25 years ago when he was a priest in Stillwater, won $17 million in damages. Porter is also serving a 12-year sentence for sexual assaulting dozens of children in Massachusetts. The men settled with 2 Catholic dioceses and the Servants of Paraclete, a New Mexico center that treated Porter before he came to Minnesota in the late 1960s. The 21 men shared a $400,000 payment from the center and are seeking $5.7 million from the center's insurers. Source: Washington Post, 11/1/94; AP
"Rising Star" Pleads Guilty
After initially pleading innocent to 3rd-degree sexual assault misconduct, Rev. Mark Makowski, 38, pleaded guilty to a plea bargain of 4th-degree misconduct in March. The pastor of St. John Catholic Parish in Grand Marais and Holy Rosary Parish in Grand Portage admitted he molested a 16 year old boy after giving him alcohol. "There's a lot of people in this community who didn't believe this happened," noted prosecutor William Hennessy. "The family is happy that the trugh came out." The "rising star" of his diocese, Makowski will undergo 6 months treatment in Ontario before his sentencing. Source: News-Tribune, 3/30/95.
Missouri
Religious Commune Leader Convicted
The leader of a religious commune in Clay County has been convicted of kidnapping, raping, sodomizing and restraining the daughter of one of his followers. The recommended sentence for Nelson DeCloud, 53, is 220 years in prison. Sources: Centre Daily Times, 8/5/94; AP, 8/4/94
New Hampshire
Priest Gets 33+ Years
Priest Gordon MacRae, 41, was sentenced to 33.5-67 years in prison for raping an altar boy a decade ago. He also pleaded guilty in September to assaulting 3 other boys in 1983 at St. Bernard's Church, Keene. Source: Wisconsin State Journal, 11/15/94
Victory Without Reward
Although Dana Vyska acknowledged the possibility that he may never collect the $100,000 awarded him in a judgment against Rev. Joseph Fredette, he still considers it a victory. Fredette, 61, who is criminally charged with sexually assaulting 3 teenage boys in the 1970s while he was the live-in director of a group home for youths, did not respond to Vyska's suit and apparently has no assets. Still pending is Vyska's charge that the Augustinians of the Assumption order knew or should have known that Fredette took Vyska, then 15, to a New Hampshire cabin and raped him. Sources: Springfield Union-News, 10/20/94; Springfield Union-News, 10/7/94
New Jersey
Assembly of God Minister Guilty
A Linwood minister who had been in charge of children's activities at the 250-member Mainland Assembly of God Church for 9 years pleaded guilty to molesting a girl parishioner. Richard L. Kim, 29, admitted he molested the girl, 16. Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/9/94
'High Priest' Pleads Guilty
A man who lured 2 girls, 15, by claiming to be a high priest of the Wicca religion, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and will be evaluated at a hospital for sex offenders before sentencing. Carl Truschel, 48, told the girls the crystals used in his sex acts were part of a religious rite, according to prosecutors. Asst. Prosecutor Steven M. Janosko downplayed the religious aspect of the case. "This is simply a guy with a new line," he said. Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/30/94
Second Conviction For Priest
A Roman Catholic priest, William O'Connell, 72, pleaded guilty to new charges of sexual assault, and was sentenced to 10 years at a treatment facility for sex offenders. While a priest in Rhode Island, he had pleaded no contest to 26 felony molestation charges in 1986 and served a year in prison. O'Connell was named in a major Camden Diocese sex abuse civil suit. This time O'Connell admitted photographing a boy, then 14, in sexually explicit poses and touching himself sexually while watching 2 boys, under 13, wash his car. Sources: Norwich Bulletin, 12/21/94; The Press of Atlantic City, 2/4/95
New Mexico
Church For Sale
A 37-year old retreat in Albuquerque's South Valley, one of 6 church properties put on the market, was sold for $1 million to help pay the costs of sexual abuse lawsuits that could ultimately total more than $50 million. "It's a simple equation. The cooperation of the insurance (companies) and the sale of properties is what's going to settle these cases," the chancellor said. Sources: Las Cruces Sun News, 9/8/94; The Daily Camera, 12/31/94
'Ground Zero' Has $0
Facing 135 lawsuits and as much as $50 million in claims, the Santa Fe archdiocese has been called "ground zero" in the explosion of sex-abuse charges. For 30 years, pedophile priests, including convicted abuser James Porter, were sent to the Servants of the Paraclete to be cured so they could continue their priestly duties at other parishes, where some continued to abuse children. Parishioners who feel betrayed by a church that hid pedophilia crimes under black collars are now being asked to save the church by raising money for the 70 lawsuits that await settlement through bingo games and raffles. The diocese covers about 300,000 people in 91 parishes throughout New Mexico, where 40% of the state's 1.6 million people are Catholic. But the new archbishop of New Mexico, Michael Sheehan, who promises reform, contended that nothing will jeopardize the church after meeting with a victim's mother who feels betrayed: "Certainly we've lost some of the weaker members . . . people whose faith was not very strong. It has provided an excuse for them to walk away. But on the other hand, those who are really Catholics, it's strengthened their belief." Sources: Washington Post, 1/15/95; The Daily Camera, 12/31/94
Servants Of Paracletes Settle
The Servants of the Paraclete treatment center and 17 men, who reported they were sexually abused as minors by Roman Catholic priest David Holley, reached a settlement of a "very substantial amount" of money. The center was named as a defendant for releasing a pedophilia-prone Holley to perform duties at various parishes on weekends. Source: San Antonio Express-News, 10/5/94
New York
Catholic School Teacher Admits Sex Abuse
Former vice principal of Catholic Central High School in Troy, Brian C. Buff, 28, of Loudonville, has admitted having oral sex with a boy, 15. Buff was administrator in a New York City school when allegations of sexual abuse of students surfaced. Buff is facing criminal charges in 3 New York counties. Buff's ex-girlfriend, Mary Ann Cioffi, 24, of Troy, was dismissed this winter from Central Catholic High School as a math teacher, for "unprofessional conduct" related to the alleged rape of the boy Buff abused. Her charges are pending. Source: Gazette Reporter (Albany, NY), 7/2/94
Ohio
Harsham Ousted
The priest who, with Cardinal Bernardin, was accused of sexually molesting Stephen Cook, has been put on leave of absence by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Rev. Ellis Harsham, 52, has been accused of molesting numerous students in the 1970s. Sources: Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA), 6/27/94; Express News (San Antonio, TX), 6/29/94
Pennsylvania
Minister Convicted A 4th Time!
A self-ordained minister was convicted of sexually abusing a neighbor, 13, over an 8-month period and faces a mandatory prison sentence of 5-10 years. Prosecutors said James E. Clark, 45, coerced a boy into performing oral sex about twice a week from July 1992 to February 1993. The boy testified Clark paid him about $5 a day for the sex. The minister previously served 8 years' probation for a sodomy conviction and a 3-6 year conviction in the 1970s for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a minor. In 1983, Clark was sentenced to 5 years for sexually abusing a child in Houston.
Harrisburg Diocese Maintains Secrecy
The Harrisburg Roman Catholic Diocese said it has already made payments of about $950,000 to victims of sexual misconduct by priests. Bishop Nicholas C. Dattilo said in The Catholic Witness, a diocesan newspaper, that the diocese has dealt with 13 reports of sexual abuse since 1950. Of these, he said 9 were "confirmed," 3 were discharged and another is under investigation. But the bishop said that he would not reveal the names of the parishes where the sex crimes took place to maintain secrecy, errr-ahem, confidentiality. Source: Tribune-Democrat, 11/12/94
Minister Raped Daughter
Rev. Joel Williams, 39, pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping the teenage daughter he called his "pride and joy" from March 1990 until she ran away 4 years later at age 17. Prosecutors said the abuse began a week after the death of his wife, the girl's mother. Source: Tribune-Democrat, 11/18/94
Suit Settled After Priest's Death
Although Rev. Augustine died while awaiting charges of molesting a girl, 14, and possessing child pornography, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg paid more than $900,000 to settle her parent's civil suit. Giella had confessed after police had found his pornographic photo collection and some of the girl's personal items. Source: Patriot-News, 12/5/94
'I Made The Mistake To Dabble In Porn.'
A minister who blamed his pornography obsession on stress pleaded guilty to federal child-pornography charges and faces a maximum 15-year prison sentence. David Cable, 52, a Methodist from Kernville, was charged with receiving and possessing a videotape and photographs depicting minors in sexually explicit poses. "Some persons deal with stress in healthy ways. Others try more harmful responses such as alcohol or drugs," Cable said in a statement. "I made the mistake to dabble in pornography." Cable also is accused of writing sexually explicit letters to the children. "May I see all of you naked and having sex," one letter written in October said. All of the letters were signed "Dr. Dave," according to police. Sources: York Daily Record, 1/13/95; Tribune-Democrat, 1/12/95
Rhode Island
No Jail For Guilty Priest
A Roman Catholic priest, Rev. James Silva, 55, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a man but will not serve time in jail because of a plea bargain agreement. The agreement was drafted after the victim, Russell Cote, said he did not care whether Silva served time as long as he admitted guilt. Source: Hartford Courant, 3/17/95
Priest Gets 5 Years' Probation
The lawyer of Rev. Joseph A. Abruzzese, 35, said his client should be allowed to return to priestly duties after he pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a boy, 16, because it had "nothing" to do with his duties at St. Anthony Church in North Providence since the boy was not a parishioner. Abruzzese was sentenced to 5 years' probation, ordered to participate in counseling and prohibited from contacting the victim. Police said he approached the boy in a park and exposed himself when the boy refused his advances. Source: Journal-Bulletin, 9/24/94
Texas
Minister Exposed, Literally
A Baptist minister who signed a statement saying that he was guilty of indecent exposure may be responsible for more than 12 incidents on the Texas Christian University campus. Gaylon Holt was never formally charged but a professor said he saw Holt fumbling with his zipper near a classroom window. Holt was charged with disorderly conduct after he was caught exposing himself to Southern Methodist University students in 1991. Source: Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/28/94
'This Won't Happen Again.'
A Nolan Catholic High School principal who pleaded no contest to a reduced disorderly conduct charge after his arrest for fondling an undercover police officer in a park, has "shown that he's overcome this and that this won't happen again," said a district's attorney officer. Father David Jerome Paul, 57, who now lives in St. Louis, was sentenced to 6 months' probation and fined $200 for the misdemeanor. "He wishes to thank all of the people who supported him and had faith in him and hopes that the disposition of the case will confirm their faith in him," said his lawyer. Source: Dallas Morning News, 2/11/95
Priest Sentenced
A victim, 15, and the mother of another victim told a judge that they had lost all faith in the priesthood as a result of a priest's abuse. Xavier Ortiz-Dietz, 48, was sentenced to 3 20-year prison terms as part of a plea bargain. He pleaded "no contest" to charges that he sometimes abused altar boys minutes before entering the sanctuary to say Mass. Source: Spokesman Review, 8/17/94
Utah
Mormon Leader Pleads Guilty
The first Native American named as a Mormon general authority, George P. Lee, 51, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual abuse of a girl, now 17. He entered his plea as he was on the verge of being tried on a felony charge of aggravated sexual abuse of the girl, who lived across the street from him. Lee was sentenced to 18 months' probation, fined $1,850, and ordered to undergo counseling and pay for his victim's counseling. Brother Lee told her he had fallen in love with her, and that it was OK with God, the girl reported. Sources: Arizona Republic, 10/12/94; Salt Lake Tribune, 10/11/94
Washington
Four Priests Removed
An archdiocese took the unprecedented step of informing The Washington Post that letters announcing that 4 priests had sexually abused an altar boy in the 1970s would be read in the parishes where the priests had served. "I think it's important that the church deal with this painful, horrible topic openly," the chancellor of The Archdiocese of Washington said. The archdiocese removed the priests from their parishes and ordered them to undergo 6-9 months of inpatient treatment after they admitted to sexually abusing an altar boy, now 34, about 20 years ago. The diocese will pay for the treatment of Rev. Edward Hartell, 58, Rev. Thomas Schaeffer, 69, Rev. Alphonsus Smith, 70, and Rev. Edward Pritchard, 50. Sources: Seattle Times, 2/7/95; Washington Post, 2/5/95
Minister Liable For Abusing Power
A jury said Rev. Albert Sweet, 68, a Methodist, twisted pastoral counseling sessions with Rev. Kay Wright, 53, then a congregation member, into a sexual relationship, exploiting the counselor/careseeker relationship. The jury awarded $135,000 in damages to her.
Wright's attorney said Sweet abused his power when he mixed sex and "false religiosity" to continue the relationship. He handed Wright an article called "The Spirituality of Waiting," when she questioned when he would divorce his wife. United Methodist Church leaders refused the grievance plea of Wright's husband in 1990, adhering to the church's 2-year statute of limitations for filing grievances. Bishop Calvin McConnell, who sent Wright home in 1991 when she came forward to file a grievance, said he hoped victims will not hesitate to confide in him. Source: Seattle Times, 2/12/95
Wisconsin
Victim's Family Blames Order
The family of a boy, now 13, is suing Dennis A. Pecore and the Salvatorians in a suit that charges his religious order failed to supervise Pecore adequately despite knowing about his previous 1987 conviction for molesting a boy, 15. Pecore is serving a 12-year sentence for the incidents, occurring between 1989-1992 at Jordan House, where he was the coordinator of the now-closed center for older priests. The boy, who occasionally spent the night at Jordan House, was abused repeatedly by Pecore, according to the suit. Source: Milwaukee Journal, 12/16/94
Archdiocese Sues Insurers
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is suing 14 American and British insurance companies for failing to make payments in 9 cases alleging sexual misconduct by priests. The companies say the church's awareness of the sexual misconduct releases any responsibility. The archdiocesan lawsuit seeks compensatory damages for settlements and attorney fees and punitive damages for alleged breach of contract.
Archbishop Rembert Weakland, who set $2 million aside in 1993 to cover potential damages, said the settlements have been "a financial burden for the diocese." Due to insurers' increasing restriction on sexual abuse coverage, many churches have found difficulty in finding or renewing policies for coverage. "Every diocese in the country right now has been stiffed by an insurance company, and it comes to a question of bad faith when you count on these insurance companies and they refuse to cover," Weakland said. Source: AP/Capital Times, 12/26/94
Woman Denied Compassion
After 27 years of repressing the painful memory, Patricia Marchant recalled how the priest in her Catholic grade school chose her, then 7, to deliver a carton of milk daily after Mass. Upon delivery, the priest would strip himself of his collar, sexually abusing her as the church bells rang.
In 1992, Marchant, who has counseled sexual abuse and incest victims for 15 years, confronted the officials of the diocese where she suffered abuse but found no compassion. "The message I got was that this was dangerous. They didn't know how to deal with it. They didn't want to deal with what this animal had done. There was no human, compassionate response whatever." Marchant contacted the priest with the assistance of her husband but didn't file a lawsuit because she wanted to avoid the anguish of a trial. She eventually met with her abuser in the presence of attorneys. "He was stoic. He had a stone face through it all. I remembered that face. I told the attorneys, 'Do you see this? This is how he looked when he was violating me. This is evil, this is the face of evil.' " Source: Milwaukee Sentinel, 3/18/95
Bible Teacher Sentenced
An instructor at Pembine Bible camp and Grace Evangelical Lutheran church in Menomenee Falls, Fritz A. Callies, 61, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for sexually assaulting 2 girls, ages 9 and 10. Over a dozen women have come forward saying Callies abused them as girls. He was investigated in 1978 for sex crimes, but was not charged. Source: Kenosha News, 7/17/94