For immediate release: Friday, May 6, 2011

Charges filed against “pastor” - clergy sex abuse victims respond

Statement by Barbara Dorris, SNAP Outreach Director 314-862-7688 [email protected]

We are grateful that prosecutors have filed charges against Aaron Witcher (aka Pastor Soulja) who is already in prison for sex with an underage girl.

While Wichter is serving five years in prison, we fear when he is released that children will be in danger. Because of this victim’s courage, Wichter will face more charges and the possibility of more years in prison. When predators are behind bars, kids are safer.

We urge anyone who has been victimized to come forward and report to law enforcement, not the church. Most child predators do not only have one or two victims, and Wichter - or any predator - can be charged and prosecuted for other child sex crimes. No victim deserves to suffer in shame and silence.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 10,000 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 Blaine (312-399-4747, [email protected]), Peter Isely (414-429-7259, [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])