A yearlong investigation by the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department has uncovered shocking allegations of sexual molestation at Ethan Allen School for Boys in the 1960s and 1970s, including the alleged assault of several juveniles by the superintendent of the institution, clergy and other staff members.
The Sheriff's Department interviewed 28 former residents of the facility, and 17 of those made allegations that they had been sexually assaulted, some saying they were repeatedly molested. However, there will be no prosecution of the alleged perpetrators due to the statute of limitations, said Sheriff's Department Capt. Karen Ruff.
Seems that the Superintending Warden was named a lot by victims.Roland Hershman, who was superintendent at the time and the focus of the investigation, emphatically denied any wrongdoing and suggested that the accusers had ulterior motives.
One thing that you watch for in any sort of conduct-investigation is "pattern of practice."
While some of the victims did know each other, others did not, according to the report. The stories have a similar theme, with many of the victims either not having a father or having an abusive father. Many were in and out of Ethan Allen. The men recalled Hershman as being generous, giving gifts, and described him as loving and caring.
To me as a Catholic, this part is just plain scary:
One man, who was in and out of Ethan Allen several times from 1966 to 1972, recalled repeated sexual abuse. The man recalled being taken by Hershman to a seminary in 1972, where he played a game like hide-and-seek. The man said he was assaulted by eight or nine men at the seminary, according to the report. The man did not know the name or location of the seminary.
Perhaps it was the Hershman's celibacy?
Hershman, who never married, said he had never had a sexual encounter with a man, according to the report.
Kinda depends on your definition of "man," eh?
Too bad there's no Pot of State Gold waiting for P I lawyers here, eh?
3 comments:
Gee, it sounds like you're unhappy with the pattern of practice of priests, and that they were unjustly prosecuted.
John,
If a priest is guilty of the crime, prosecute them.
Punish the priest but do not rape the faithful membes of the money they have given for Church for its maintenance and care and programs.
Don't change the statute of limitations just to go after priest but not the rest of society either.
There is just as many abuses in the secular world as in the Church, actually their are more.
Lawyers are a huge problem in our society
"Punish the priest but do not rape the faithful membes of the money they have given for Church for its maintenance and care and programs."
Humph. Sort of like the care and maintenance I expected from my 401k administrators...
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