MO- Prosecutors have new tool in older child sex cases
For immediate release: Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected])
Missouri prosecutors apparently now have a chance to pursue charges against some child molesters even in cases that are decades old. We hope they'll take advantage of this opportunity.
We urge Missouri prosecutors to look long and hard at the successful prosecution (which ended yesterday) of a serial predator priest in Cooper County for crimes he committed in the 1980s.
All too often, law enforcement officials quickly tell victims “You're too late. The statute of limitations has run.” That's not necessarily the case. Time and time again, over the last 25 years, we in SNAP have seen that “where there's a will, there's a way.” We've seen that if they are determined and creative, police and prosecutors can charge and convict older sex offenders.
That's what the Cooper County prosecutor has done. Parents and child sex abuse victims across Missouri owe him a debt of gratitude.
We are not lawyers, but our understanding is that Fr. Jerry Howard is behind bars now for two basic reasons. First, Abele argued that Missouri's statute of limitations stopped “ticking” when Fr. Howard left the state. And second, Abele argued that because lawmakers have repeatedly changed the statute of limitations, Fr. Howard's crimes in the 1980s could still be prosecuted.
We applaud Abele's diligence in this case. We hope it inspires other prosecutors to go after other similar cases in which child molesters have evaded justice for decades.
And we hope that every single person who saw, suspected or suffered Howard's crimes will find the strength to speak up now. He could walk free in 6 or 7 years, so now is not the time for anyone to become complacent.
Here are more details about the case.
In the 1980s, Fr. Carmine Sita was a priest in New Jersey. He was convicted of molesting a boy in the Jersey City area.
His Catholic supervisors then let him change his name – to Fr. Jerry Howard – and sent him to the Jefferson City diocese, with no warning to parishioners or the public, where he sexually assaulted several boys.
After leaving Boonville, Fr. Howard worked as a counselor in Boone and in Callaway counties, including a stint at the now-shuttered Charter Hospital in Columbia.
The prosecutor is Doug Abele of Cooper County ([email protected], 660-882-7577). Howard is represented by attorney Jim Rutter of Columbia (573 303 3909, [email protected]). In civil suits, Howard's victims have been represented by attorney Bryan Bacon of Columbia (573 874 7777), Ken Chackes of St. Louis (314 369 3902) and Greg Gianforcaro of New Jersey.
A photo of Fr. Howard, and other information, is available at BishopAccountability.org.
The judge is Robert L. Koffman, who (lawyers tell us) is a “by the book” judge, not one to “stretch” the law or look favorably on novel legal theories.
More information on the case is available at CaseNet.
(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 20,000 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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