TN- Child sex case filed vs. Baptist Church
For immediate release: Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
The First Baptist church of Bemis, near Jackson TN, is being sued for child sex crimes committed by one of its members (who is a convicted sex offender and who was arrested last year for stalking adults).
http://www.wbbjtv.com/news/local/Sex-Offender-Now-Facing-Stalking-Charges-206462401.html
We praise the brave girl who is exposing those who committed and concealed these heinous crimes. When child sex crimes happen in churches, both the individuals who perpetrated the wrong and the individuals who enabled the wrong should be held responsible.
In 2006, Chad Lutrell, a church member, was reportedly kissing young girls and stalking and threatening adult women. In 2009, a ten year old girl, whose family belonged to the church, enrolled in the church's Bible camp. Despite the earlier reports of abuse, church officials let Lutrell work at the camp. That’s where he sexually abused the young girl.
The perpetrator pled guilty. He's now a registered sex offender. And he was arrested again last year for stalking adult women.
But current and former employees and members of First Baptist, we believe, should be punished for refusing to promptly call law enforcement with their suspicions of child sex crimes. Such punishment is perhaps the best way to deter such recklessness in the future.
We hope every individual who saw, suspected or suffered child sex crimes at First Baptist will find the courage and strength to speak up, protect kids, call police, get help, expose wrongdoers and start healing.
NOTE - The victim is represented by Ft. Lauderdale attorney Adam Horowitz.
(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 (314-503-0003 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
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