Natrona County Prosecutors Decline to Move Forward on Hart Case, SNAP Calls for Attorney General Intervention
Despite two separate investigations and recommendations from local police to file charges, Natrona County prosecutors have decided not to pursue criminal charges against a serially abusive former bishop. This is a disturbing and disappointing decision that raised the hopes of clergy abuse survivors only to once again see the system fail to take their allegations seriously. We call on the Attorney General of Wyoming to step in and take over this case in order to see it through to the end.
This case has been fraught with issues from the prosecutor’s office, including the misreading of documents, the need for two separate police investigations, and an ongoing unwillingness to communicate about the case with the public. Natrona County prosecutors have left victims and witnesses twisting in the wind after leading them on for the course of a year, forcing them to repeatedly relive painful memories about their abuse while apparently being unwilling to do anything about it.
Dan Itzen and his team in Natrona County have let down the people of Wyoming. Now we call on Attorney General Bridget Hill to step in, take over this case, and move forward. If Mr. Itzen and his team are unwilling to take steps to pursue justice, then the state’s top law enforcement official should.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)