OK- Victims applaud prosecutors for appealing child sex case
For immediate release: Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Statement by Judy Jones of St. Louis, Midwest Assistant Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (636 433 2511, 314 974 5003, [email protected])
We are grateful that McAlester prosecutors are appealing the recent dismissal of a child sex abuse case involving a Jehovah's Witness elder (Ronald Lawrence) who is accused of molesting three girls.
No predator should walk free because of an arbitrary, archaic deadline called the statute of limitations. It's a law that gives adults who commit and conceal heinous crimes against kids tons of incentive to intimidate victims, threaten whistleblowers, discredit witnesses, destroy evidence, transfer predators and keep a tight lid on the truth (until the deadline expires and they escape consequences.)
Many judges in many jurisdictions have ruled that deliberate moves to hide child sex crimes effectively freezes the statute of limitations and have let prosecutors proceed in those cases. No callous employer should be rewarded for concealing suspicions or knowledge of dreadful crimes against kids from law enforcement.
We hope the prosecutors win their appeal. That will not only protect kids from Lawrence. It will also protect other kids by deterring decision-makers from helping child predators hide their crimes.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 1 comment