For immediate release:
Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Predatory Baptist preacher will be sentenced for child molestation

Self Help organization hopes for a lengthy jail term "so that children will be safe"

Group prods others who 'saw, suspected or suffered abuse' to get help and call police

WHAT:

At a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims will

-- Publicly urge a judge to lock up a child molesting clergyman for a long time, and

-- Prod others who were hurt by the predator to come forward, get help and call police, and

-- Urge the minister's former congregation to join in the outreach effort to find other victims

WHO:

The victim, who now lives in Falmouth, VA, the Virginia director of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) and other survivors and supporters.

WHEN:

12:30 PM Tuesday, September 2nd

WHERE:

Stafford County Courthouse

1300 Courthouse Road, Stafford Virginia (540) 658-8600

WHY:

In May, Rev. George Lowe plead guilty to two counts of taking indecent liberties with a child.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/052008/05282008/383011

Lowe was counseling the then 15-year-old victim, who attended Pastor Lowe’s church. , Lowe was Pastor of Mount Hope Baptist Church in Stafford for 43 years.  The abuse, which began in 1984, occurred at least 20 times according to the victim.

Seven of the nine charges were dropped when Lowe plead guilty in May to two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor.

The group is urging Judge Gordon Willis to impose a stiff sentence on this admitted child molester so that not only will children be protected but to send a message to other predators that using their positions of power and trust in the community to harm the innocent and the vulnerable will not be tolerated.

SNAP also wants Lowe's former church members to seek out others he may have hurt, and especially track down former congregates who quit or moved away (since some of them may have been victimized but may not know about Lowe's guilty plea).

SNAP strongly encourages anyone who has seen, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes, by George Lowe, or any other member of the clergy, to contact police officials.

CONTACT
Becky Ianni, Director of SNAP Virginia 703-801-6044, Barbara Blaine, President of SNAP 312-399-4747

Barbara Dorris, Outreach Director 314-862-7688 David Clohessy, National Director 314-566-9790