To which I say, exactly! Becoming a priest, or preacher, or rabbi, or whatever your particular branch of superstition calls it, does NOTHING to improve on men's character. One might think that those who are "called" to the clergy are somehow "special," but no, they are still the same old perverts they were before joining the clergy. Its possible that joining the clergy makes them WORSE, giving them access to all sorts of ... things.
This is certainly not to say that those in the clergy have done absolutely no good. Indeed, there are many good people in the clergy, just as there are many people NOT in the clergy.
Does God try to communicate with us through the weather, Michelle Bachmann?
Someday the mass will reach critical and turn away from the old superstitions and finally "come into the light" of reason.
BLACK COLLAR CRIME BLOTTER
(general time frame for all of these offenses is December 2010-January 2011)
Rev. Otis Holland, Henderson, NV: Sexual assault of a minor under 14 and lewdness with a child. Holland, pastor of United Faith, is accused of molesting a girl over a period of 2 years. The small congregation meets in the lobby of Rob's Tax Service in Henderson.
The girl told police Holland had a "secret room" in his home with a video camera and that her mother dropped her off there for counseling. The girl said he threatened her with going to hell and breaking up the church if she told anyone. The girl told police Holland "snowballs the parents to get to the kids." Source: KNTV News, 1-10-11
Rev. Felipe DeJesus Coronel, 55, San Antonio, TX: Conspiracy to defraud the government, manufacturing counterfeit permanent resident cards and making a false statement to authorities. Coronet, pastor of Ministerios Epicentro Donde Nace La Bendicin in Austin before moving to San Antonio, was indicted for selling fake "green" cards and Social Security cards. Luis Angel Tovar, 28, faces similar charges.
Undercover agents placed orders through Tovar for the false documents and watched secretly as he got them from Coronel, an affidavit said. Source: San Antonio Express-News, 1-611
Rev. Donald Belcher, 82, Yaak, MT: Indicted by a Maryland grand jury on child sexual abuse charges. Belcher was vicar of Church of the Holy Cross in Street, MD, from 2001 -07. The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has started the process of barring him from exercising priestly functions and determining whether pastoral care is needed for alleged victims. Source: Baltimore Sun, 1-5-11
Robert Klatt, 32, San Jose, CA: Lewd and lascivious conduct. Klatt, a volunteer youth minister at an unnamed San Jose church, was arrested in Las Vegas, NV. The incidents with 2 teen boys allegedly occurred from January to June 2009. Authorities are seeking information from more possible victims. Source: Mercury News, 1-5-11
Rev. Eric Dejaeger, 63, a Catholic priest wanted in Canada since 2002 on child sex charges, was arrested in his native Belgium for overstaying his visitor's visa. A Canadian citizen since 1994, Dejaeger served 18 months of a 5-year sentence in 1990 for assaulting lnuit children in what is now Nunavut Territory.
New allegations surfaced after he was released, and he fled the country. Officials hope to extradite him as soon as possible. Source: BBC, 1-5-11
Rev. Tommy Gene Daniels, 48, Rio Linda, CA: 6 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old and sexual conduct with a child. Daniels, head pastor at First Baptist Church who has been a foster parent and day care provider, is accused in incidents alleged to have occurred between June 2004 and June 2007. Two alleged victims have come forward.
Daniels actively worked for the passage of Prop. 8 to ban gay couples from marrying. Source: Sacramento Bee, 12-30-10
Rev. Sandy McGriff , 52, Grand Prairie, TX: Burglary and resisting arrest. McGriff, pastor of Church of the Living God (located in the back of her husband's furniture store) is accused of stealing more than $10,000 worth of clothing, designer purses and electronics on Christmas Eve from the home of a church member, Serita Agnew.
McGriff told police she was in the neighborhood to pick up a peach cobbler from a friend when she saw 2 men leaving Agnew's house. When she saw a broken window, she pulled her black Jaguar in the driveway and climbed through the window. Police found items from the house in the back seat of her car after a neighbor called to report a burglary. McGriff told police she was trying to protect Agnew's property in case the men returned. The neighbor told police a different story, and the arrest affidavit said she was carrying fur coats out the back door when police arrived.
Police said she appeared to have been drinking. McGriff admitted having a criminal record, including a prostitution conviction, but said since 1988 she has "walked the straight and narrow path." Source: Dallas Morning News, 12-28-10
Rev. Earl Post Jr., Canton, TX: Felony stalking. Post, founder of Road to Hope Ministry, is accused of stalking a 1 7-year-old girl and is suspected of allowing at least one registered sex offender to volunteer when children are present.
Police arrested him for stalking while a reporter was at the ministry talking to Post, volunteers and charitable donors about the sex offender allegation. Source: KLTV News, 1222-10
Jonathan Hinton, 37, Venice, FL: 4 counts of child molestation on a warrant from Madison County, IN. He is contemporary worship director at Grace United Methodist Church in Venice. Hinton is alleged to have molested a girl over a period of 2 years, starting when she was 12, while he was youth pastor at Trinity Wesleyan Church in Tipton, IN.
Rev. Jay Kowalski said Hinton had been working at Grace Church for about a year and had passed a background check. The church has a policy of never leaving a child alone with a single adult, Kowalski said. Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 12-21-10
Paula Kay Sparks, 47, Lincoln, NE: Suspicion of theft. Sparks was director at Holy Family Catholic Child Care Center, where a shortfall of $24,411 was detected after she left the job.
Police Officer Katie Flood said Sparks allegedly erased financial records and did not deposit payments from parents. A backup of financial records at an offsite location showed the missing sum. Source: Journal Star, 12-21-10
John W. Elder, 61 , Bremen, PA: 9 counts of theft, 12 counts of forgery and 3 counts of insurance fraud. Elder, treasurer of the Calvary United Methodist Board of Trustees and a former agent with Monumental Life Insurance, is accused of collecting premiums from victims and diverting the money to his personal accounts. Church leaders started investigating after finding overdrawn accounts. Source: Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, 12-21-10
Rev. Ivory McDaniels, 68, Fordyce, AR: 4 counts of 2nd-degree sexual assault. McDaniels, pastor at Greenville First Baptist Church for 16 years, is alleged to have had sexual contact with 4 teen girls as a substitute high school teacher.
A police report said, "McDaniels grabbed her by her arm, pulled her in his lap, touching her." Another girl said, "McDaniels put his arms around her legs and started rubbing her legs up and down while he talked to her."
No assaults are as yet alleged at church, but a parent told a news crew, "They say everybody is innocent until proven guilty, but I wouldn't go back to that church. That's my opinion. I wouldn't go back and I wouldn't send my kids back." Source: KATV News, 12-20-10
Rev. David Pomales, 51, Bridgeport, CT: 2nd-degree breach of peace. Pomales, pastor at La Primera Iglesias de Dios Church, his son and daughter and 3 other persons were all arrested on the same charge for "heavy fighting" outside the church on a Saturday night. Police used pepper spray to break up the fight, which stemmed from a domestic dispute. Source: Connecticut Post, 12-20- 10
Rev. Mark Griggs, 48, Olmsted Falls, OH: 112 counts of downloading, trading and possessing child pornography. Griggs, co-pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, is among 27 adults and 3 juveniles charged in a probe called "Operation Lake Effect." Prosecutors alleged he traded child porn images from his home and church computers. Source: WJT-TV, 12-16-10
Baron Hopgood, 35, Oklahoma City, OK: 4 counts of obtaining under false pretenses. The founder of Baron Hopgood Ministries also had an outstanding warrant for defrauding an innkeeper. It's alleged he knowingly wrote checks for $5,467 on a closed bank account. He's also being sued by ex-employees who said their paychecks bounced. Source: The Oklahoman, 12-16-10
Rev. Robert Bumham, 36, Bentonville, AR: Sexual solicitation. Bumham, pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, was among 7 people arrested in a prostitution sting at a hotel.
According to his wife's Twitter account, they moved to Bentonville from Denver in November. A spokesman confirmed that the church has accepted Bumham's resignation. Source: KSPR News, 12-10-10
Sister Marie Thornton, 62, New Rochelle, NY: Embezzlement. Thornton, a Sisters of St. Joseph nun and chief financial officer at Iona College, is charged with embezzling $850,000. The Catholic college, 15 miles from Manhattan, has fired her, and her religious order has restricted her activities.
Iona disclosed the theft to the IRS on its 2008 tax forms, which showed an employee stole about $80,000 a year over 10 years by using false vendor invoices, fraudulent checks and credit card bills. The college did not reveal the theft publicly or report the crime to law enforcement. Source: AP, 12-10-10
Rev. Edward E. Davis, 74, Geneva, AL: 2nd-degree sodomy. David, a retired pastor, is accused of assaulting a teen boy from Florida at Davis' home and in another county.
"He just basically baited, (ured him in and befriended him," said police Lt. Ricky Morgan. "He met him in a church in Holmes County." Source: Dothan Eagle, 12-3-10
Joshua Amoroso, 21, Colorado Springs, CO: Sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. Amoroso, youth pastor at Gateway Church, is alleged to have had sex with a 14-year-old girl at least 15 times, the first time in his home while his wife was at work.
The arrest affidavit said the girl told police they had sex several times in the home of Gateway Senior Pastor Derek Sissel while Amoroso was house-sitting. Police went to Amoroso's home to verify her description of its blue walls and blue bedding she'd earlier described to a sexual assault counselor. Source: Colorado Springs Gazette, 12-4-10
Edwin Benjamin Rosette Sr., 57, Newport News, VA: Rape. Rosette, who listed his occupation as ordained minister and rape crisis counselor at Hampton Mental Health Associates, is accused of sexually assaulting a girl, now 19, starting when she was about 10 until she was 18. He faces a single rape count.
"Mr. Rosette had sex with her after she said, 'No I dont want to,' " the criminal complaint said.
Police suspect he may have been producing child porn. The girl noticed a video camera with a red light on at times. They confiscated several video and still cameras, 60 CDs, 80 VHS tapes, 21 floppy disks, several laptops, hard drives, thumb drives and 7 cell phones. Source: Daily Press, 12-4-10
Rev. Alberto Maullon, 52, Nassau Bay, TX: Public lewdness. Maullon, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, was granted a leave of absence after his arrest in a sting at Big City Adult Bookstore. A vice officer said Maullon "whipped his junk out" in a private viewing booth with the officer present. Source: KPRC News, 12-3-10
Curtis Burkhardt, 43, Grand Blanc, Ml: Indecent exposure by a sexually delinquent person. Burkhardt is a youth volunteer at First Baptist Church. He's accused of exposing himself to an 11 -year-old girl at a campground last August while his own 5-year-old daughter sat on his lap. The girl told police he asked on the way to the campground about her 16-year-old sister's sexuality and if she'd ever seen male genitalia.
The sister then told police Burkhardt had exposed himself about 2 years ago when she was babysitting at his home. He was convicted in 2001 for exposing himself in a McDonald's restaurant to a 3-year-old girl and her mother. Source: Mt. Clemens Daily Tribune, 11-29-10
Yahudah Israel, 51 , Demopolis, AL: 1 st-degree rape and 2nd-degree rape. Israel, pastor of an independent church, was indicted by a grand jury in a case involving a female minor. Police Chief Tommie Reese said the investigation lasted nearly a year. Bail was set at $500,000. Source: Demopolis Times, 11-20-10
Pleaded / Convicted
Brian Spillane, 67, Sydney, AUS: Convicted of 9 counts of indecent assault. Spillane, who left the Catholic priesthood in 2004, faces 135 similar charges, set for 4 trials in 2011. Allegations by 44 former pupils, male and female, at St. Stanislaus College, Bathurst, detail various abusive sexual practices Spillane is accused of as far back as the 1 970s. Others involve alleged incidents while Spillane was a traveling Vincentian Order priest visiting remote areas.
Two sisters, ages 8 and 10 at the time, are among his accusers. The older girl testified, "I can still taste the scotch in my mouth and I can feel the stubble of him on my face."
Spillane was refused bail after the 9 convictions. As he was led away, he called out, "Please God, help me." Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 12-1-10
Sentenced
Rev. Timothy Dillmuth 34, Stowe, ME; Richard Eland, 62, Robert Gagnon, 70, both of Brownfield, ME: 30 days in jail, suspended, fines of $2,000 each and probation. Dillmuth is pastor at Valley Christian Church, a storefront church in Redstone where Eland and Gagnon are elders. They were found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of failing to report they suspected a 12-year-old girl was sexually abused by another church member.
An investigator said Eland told him "God is a higher authority" than the police and they would not hesitate to act similarly in the future. Source: WMWV News, 12-22-10
Rev. Timothy Parker, 40, Westgate, IA: 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to 2 counts of 3rd-degree sexual abuse. Parker, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church, admitted molesting a 12-year-old female relative at the church in 2009. Prosecutors said he fondled or performed oral sex on the girl on 3 occasions. Source: Waterloo Daily Courier, 12-21-10
Rev. Daniel Lynch, 62, Takoma Park, MD: Pleaded guilty to creating a public disturbance and was fined $90. Charges of illegal use of a facsimile firearm and 2nd-degree breach of peace were dropped. A Catholic priest for 40 years, Lynch was staying at his sister's in Bridgeport, CT. Police responding to a complaint of a man firing a gun at another man burst in and tackled Lynch.
Lynch 's lawyer said it was a practical joke by Lynch on an old friend and that the gun was a starter pistol used for races. Source: Connecticut Post, 12-10-10
Salvatore LoRusso, 68, Montauk, NY: 95 days in jail and 6 years' probation on harassment and stalking convictions in 3 separate cases. LoRusso, founder of a religious group called House of David, was sentenced in Honesdale, PA.
Some of the victims were former House of David members.
From 2005-07, LoRusso and several accomplices sent thousands of malicious faxes to businesses and institutions frequented by his daughter, her family and other victims. Source: Wayne Independent, 12-10-10
Vaughn Reeves, 66, Sullivan, IN: 54 years in prison for 9 counts of securities fraud. Reeves, a former pastor, and his sons used a nowdefunct company, Alanar, to convince 11,000 investors to buy bonds worth $120 million secured by mortgages on construction projects at about 150 churches. They used sales pitches that included prayers and bible passages, then diverted money from new investors to pay off previous investors, pocketing $6 million. Source: Indianapolis Star, 12-8-10
Tony Walsh, 57, Dublin, IRE: 16 years in prison, with 4 suspended. The defrocked Catholic priest was convicted of serially raping 3 boys more than 20 years ago, but other investigators compiling the Murphy Report concluded he raped and molested hundreds of boys as a priest from 1978-96.
Walsh often impersonated Elvis in a song-and-dance production popular with children called the "All Priests Show." One victim, age 7 at the time, testified Walsh tied him up with cords from his vestments before raping him on the altar. He played an Elvis album to drown out the noise. He later said the boy would "bum in hell for all eternity" if he told anyone.
While appealing a 1993 attempt to defrock him, he sexually assaulted the 11 -year-old grandson of the deceased in a pub restroom after the funeral. The Vatican had overruled the verdict of the archdiocese's canonical trial and ordered him to be sent to a monastery. Not until 16 years after the first complaint did the Vatican agree to defrock him in 1996.
The Murphy Report documented how by 1985 at least 7 priests were aware of concerns about Walsh's behavior but nothing was done. The first complaint came from an 8-year-old boy's parents in 1978, 2 days after his appointment to Ballyfermot parish. Irish civil and church authorities and the Vatican failed to pursue multiple abuse allegations, the report said.
On Jan. 2, Walsh was attacked with a sharp weapon by a fellow inmate after Mass at Midlands Prison, County Laois, and needed 12 stitches to close a head wound. Source: AP, 1217-10; Irish Independent, 1-4-11
Ramon Moreno, 20, Boca Raton, FL: 3 years in prison and 5 years' probation after pleading guilty to 9 counts of possession of child pornography. Moreno told police he was a youth leader at Frontline Christian Center, but a pastor there said Moreno was merely a church member who often volunteered and was never in a leadership position.
The arrest report said Moreno had images of children having sex with adults. Source: Sun Sentinel, 12-3-10
Civil Lawsuits Filed
The Diocese of New Ulm, MN, is being sued by a Nevada man who claims he was sexually abused as an 8-year-old by Rev. Francis Markey, a Catholic priest recently extradited from Indiana to Ireland on charges he sexually abused a boy there in 1968.
The suit alleges Markey abused the plaintiff in 1982 at St. Andrew's Parish in Granite Falls. The suit also names treatment facilities in Ireland and New Mexico as defendants and the Irish Diocese of Clogher. Source: KSTP News, 1-11-11
The Diocese of Worcester, MA, and defrocked priest Ronald Provost are defendants in a suit filed by a Worcester County man in his late 30s who alleges Provost sexually assaulted him during the priest's tenure at Holy Angels Church in Upton between 1979-82.
Provost was convicted in 1993 of soliciting a child to pose in a state of sexual nudity, said Carmen Durso, the Worcester County victim's lawyer.
During the 1993 investigation, Provost showed police at least 100 nude photos of boys, but the diocese didn't try to determine victims' identities, Durso said.
Durso said according to a study he conducted, victims on average were 46 years old before they reported abuse. "Males in particular suppress this because of all the shame that's involved with another male having sexual contact with them." Source: Milford Daily News, 1-9-11
The Catholic Knights of Columbus organization is being sued separately for $5 million by 2 men from Texas and Kansas who allege that Juan "Julian" Rivera, a former leader of the Columbian Squires in Brownsville, TX, sexually abused them in the 1970s and 1980s. The Squires is a Knights-sponsored group for males ages 10-18. The suits were filed in New Haven, CT, the Knights' national headquarters.
Kansan Jim Dennany, 49, alleges Rivera sexually abused him in 1973-77, plying him with alcohol and pornography. Hector Stone, 42, Brownsville, made similar allegations, and alleges Rivera told him if he said anything he'd cut off a body part and send it to Stone's mother.
"I was going to take this to my grave. Julian Rivera sexually abused me for 6 years from the ages of 12 to 18 years old," Stone said, with his lawyer by his side.
Rivera also "shared" the boy with another adult leader of the Squires in another city, the lawsuit states.
Stone said he reported the abuse to the Knights in 1986, who supposedly concealed his claim and intimidated him into not making it public. The Knights claim no knowledge of the allegations until December 2009.
Rivera ended his affiliation with the Brownsville Knights in January 2010. Source: Washington Post, 12-14-10; KGBT News, 12-15-10
Civil Lawsuits Settled
St. Dennis Catholic Parish, Galena, MD, reached a $1.7 million settlement with Joseph Curry, 40, Smyrna, DE, who alleged that he was molested starting in 1981 by the late Rev. Edward Carley. The parish agreed to also issue a public apology and acknowledge that Carley molested Curry while he was learning to be an altar boy. The suit said the abuse continued until 1986.
The parish is part of the Diocese of Wilmington, DE, which named Carley in 2005 as an abuser of children. He died in 1998. Curry also sued the diocese, but that part of the suit was delayed when the diocese declared bankruptcy. Source: AP, 1-5-11
Finances
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to past, current and pending sexual abuse suits. The archdiocese has paid $29 million to settle about 200 claims. Suits are pending that accuse 6 more priests, including a case with about 200 alleged victims at a school for the deaf. The petition lists $50 million in debts, not including payments related to upcoming lawsuits.
The archdiocese, with assets of $98.4 million, is the 8th to seek bankruptcy since 2002. Others are Davenport, Iowa; Fairbanks, Alaska; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; Spokane, Wash.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Wilmington, Del.
Attorney Jeff Anderson said he thought the filing was an attempt to delay the plaintiffs' deposition of former Bishop Richard Sklba. Church officials elsewhere have filed on the eve of trials of major depositions to avoid making information public, he said.
Chapter 11 reorganization means normal activities can be continued, said spokesman Jerry Topczewski. "People should know this doesn't mean we're going out of business." Source: AP, 1-4-11
Legal Developments
A New York state appeals court dismissed a suit against Rev. Lawrence Carrino and Grace Gospel Church of Suffolk for breach of fiduciary duty and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Carrino was conducting love affairs with Valerie Spielman and Cindy Gallo, who are sisters. Once they found out, they both ended the relationship.
The sisters did not prove Carrino had "control and dominance" over them, the court said. "Although both sisters allege facts which they contend made them uniquely vulnerable and incapable of self-protection, that contention is belied by the acknowledgement in the complaint that they both promptly ended their relationships with Carrino once they learned he was having affairs with both of them." Source: Courthouse News, 12-9-10
AllegationsRabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, Brooklyn, NY: Kranczer, who resigned in September as executive director and principal at Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid, a school for boys with learning disabilities in Midwood, is suspected of engaging in a long-term sexual relationship with at least one of his daughters.
His son, Asher Kranczer, 21 , and the rabbi are believed to have fled to Israel. Another son, Yechezkel Kranczer, 24, turned himself in and faces 70 counts of sexual abuse and 2 counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Another son, age 15, is charged with sexual abuse of his 8-year-old sister.
The rabbi and his wife have 14 children, ranging in age from 8 to 28, police said. The children under 18 have been removed from the home. The allegations surfaced when a 20-year-old daughter working as a teacher's aide told a staff member she had been raped by her father repeatedly for 15 years. The alleged female victims are now 20, 19, 17 and 8. Source: Wall Street Journal, 12-4-10
Resigned / Removed
Rev. David Tolliver, Jefferson City, MO: Tolliver, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, resigned "due to immoral behavior with a woman," according to a statement from the 600,000-member organization with about 2,000 Southern Baptist churches.
"It is disheartening to learn of any fellow believer succumbing to sinful choices," said Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee
Tolliver was a pastor for 20 years before becoming a church executive. Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1-10-11
Rev. Marshall Brown, 57, Fairfax City, VA: Brown, associate rector at Truro Church, was fired for accessing "websites that would be considered pornography," said Truro Executive Director Warren Thrasher. Truro is one of the largest conservative U.S. Anglican churches.
Truro was one of 14 Virginia parishes to break away from the Episcopal Church after the 2003 election of the denomination's first openly gay bishop.
Brown was treated in 2005 for an Internet addiction after he reported having a problem, said Bishop Martyn Minns, adding that back then he didn't ask Brown about the details of his addiction. He said he was told by counselors that "there was nothing illegal or involving children," but beyond that, Minns said, "I didn't ask too many questions." Source: Washington Post, 1-8-11
Bishop Ronald Gilmore, 68, decided it was time to get out of Dodge - the Diocese of Dodge City, KS, that is. In his resignation statement on the diocesan website, Gilmore said, "Sometimes, being a bishop feels like a blessing. Sometimes, being a bishop feels like a cursing. For me, being a bishop has always felt like a burden." He'd been bishop since 1998.
Barbara Dorris, outreach coordinator for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called the diocese "one of the most secretive dioceses in the U.S. regarding child sex crimes." Source: AP, 12-15-10
Rev. William R. Gould, 71, Post Falls, ID: Diocese of Boise Bishop Michael Driscoll stripped Gould of all ministerial duties due to allegations he had sexually inappropriate conduct with a male under 18 in Idaho Falls 29 years ago. Gould was put on administrative leave in 2005 after an investigation substantiated claims he engaged in sexual misconduct with an adult. Source: AP, 12-13-10
Rev. Dennis Shaw, Auburn, NY: Removed as pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church by the Diocese of Rochester for allegedly sexually abusing a child in the late 1970s. Shaw, ordained in 1972, was placed on administrative leave. No further details about the allegations were given. Source: Auburn Citizen, 12-13-10
Rev. Edmund Penisten, Sitka, AK Penisten, pastor of St. Gregory Catholic Church in Sitka, resigned and left Alaska for evaluation at an undisclosed location after being suspended from the public ministry by Diocese of Juneau Bishop Edward Burns.
"A computer program that had been installed on the computers at St. Gregory's indicated that some questionable material had been accessed," said Rev. Pat Travers, diocesan vicar general. A software program alerted the diocese that pornographic websites had been accessed. Source: KFSK News, 12-10-10
Walter D. Salisbury, 79, Bar Harbor, ME: Salisbury, a former Catholic Josephite priest, resigned from the Bar Harbor Housing Authority board after being told his criminal past was being investigated. He was convicted in 1979 in Texas for committing indecency with a child and in 1993 for committing an indecent act on a minor in a church rectory in Washington, D.C.
Brian Tucker, a Baltimore lawyer representing the Josephite Society, said Salisbury has been barred from representing himself as a priest since 1993. Salisbury was listed as "Father W. Dayton Salisbury" on the Housing authority website.
"I called the town and told them to take ["father"] off of there," Tucker said before Salisbury's resignation. "He is not to hold himself out as a priest." Source: Bangor Daily News, 12-3-10
Other
George Neville Rucker, 90, Los Angeles, CA: The Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests objected to Rucker, a defrocked priest accused of sexually molesting 38 girls but never prosecuted due to the statute of limitations, being allowed on a 3-month, $12,000 cruise to South America.
David Clohessy, SNAP executive director, likened it to Voyages of Discovery saying, "Welcome aboard criminals. Just make sure your coat tails are tucked in and say please and thank you."
Rucker was charged with molesting 12 girls in 2002 and was arrested by Alaska state troopers on a cruise ship bound for Russia. Charges were dropped in 2003 after a U.S. Supreme Court struck down California's attempt to prosecute older molestation cases.
Clohessy also criticized the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for not keeping tabs on Rucker after his defrocking. "Rucker really is one of the very worst, and for church officials to claim that they are monitoring them, watching them like a hawk, is ridiculous."
Rucker was officially accused of 38 molestations occurring between 1947-80. He retired in 1987. The archdiocese paid millions of dollars starting in 2006 to settle civil suits against Rucker and other priests. Source: Miami New Times, 1-4-11
The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, Wl, denies allegations by the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests that the diocese is still covering up sexual abuse by priests. SNAP asked for a court order to stop the diocese from destroying personnel records and asked federal prosecutors to investigate whether former Bishop David Zubik, now of Pittsburgh, and other officials obstructed investigations.
"It's an intentional, deliberate act of destroying what's in the file," said Peter lsely, Midwest director of SNAP. "This is a potential record of crimes committed against us, and criminal evidence, and it's evidence of potential fraud, which is the concealment or transference of clerics" guilty of sexual abuse.
Deacon Tim Reilly, diocesan director of administration, denied the allegations. He said the diocese's new records management policy calls for destruction of personnel records only in the cases of priests who have been dead for a year or more, and in no case are the records destroyed if they concern pending court cases.
SNAP based its accusations on recent court testimony given by Rev. James Doerfler. The group quoted Doerfler as saying Zubik issued orders in 2007 to destroy records pertaining to pedophile priests. Source: Green Bay PressGazette, 12-22-10
The Catholic Diocese of Stockton, CA, paid $300,000 on Sept. 22 to settle a sexual abuse claim against Rev. Leo Suarez. Half that amount will come from insurance. Suarez was defrocked in Jan. 2010 after admitting he'd molested a minor 20 years ago at St. Anthony's Parish in Hughson.
No lawsuit has been filed against the diocese or Suarez. A spokeswoman said the diocese doesn't know his whereabouts. Source: Sacramento Bee, 12-17-10
Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Boise, ID, won't be charged with failure to report child molestation by a church member due to Idaho's clergy privilege law.
Stephen R. Young, 59, Eagle, a longtime Boise policeman and school resource officer, was sentenced to 25 years prison in September after pleading guilty to molesting a child who was between 12 and 18 months old in 2006. Other charges, which named 4 victims between the ages of 1 month and 21 months, were dropped. Prosecutors said Young may have had as many as 20 victims.
He confessed to his wife in August 2009 and moved to an apartment. He confessed to his bishop in January 2010. That confession was part of the LDS disciplinary process which resulted in his excommunication. But not till a fellow police officer who attended Young's church heard of the punishment and spoke to him was Young arrested in March, 2 days after his abrupt retirement.
According to church attorney Randy Austin, as soon as Young confessed to church officials, they urged him and his wife to tell the authorities. Making that recommendation was all clergy members could legally do until Young turned himself in, Austin said. Violating the clergy privilege could have jeopardized the prosecution, he said.
An underage girl in a similar case told the Idaho Statesman that before her molester pleaded guilty in 2008 (the abuse was reported in 1999), she was forced to meet with him and a bishop. "At that point, I was really scared. My family was about to be torn apart. They wanted me to forgive him. I was 14. I was put on the spot. What are you going to say?" Source: Idaho Statesman, 12-13-10
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