OH--Victims seek “outreach” in predator preacher case
For immediate release: Thursday, Aug. 20
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790, [email protected], [email protected])
We are glad an Ohio man is being charged with child sex crimes. And we call on anyone in the Wapakoneta Ohio area who may have seen, suspected or suffered his crimes to call law enforcement immediately.
We also applaud the brave victim who is helping prosecutors pursue this abusive pastor. And we call on current and former church members and staff to aggressively seek out others who may have been hurt by this preacher.
Donald Dwayne Ramsey is charged with felony second-degree sexual offense. He was arrested last month at his home in Wapakoneta, Ohio and was a youth pastor at Peace Baptist Church in North Carolina.
Too often, in clergy sex abuse and cover up cases, law enforcement focuses only on clerics who commit child sex crimes and ignore church staff who conceal child sex crimes. We urge police and prosecutors to investigate whether others at Peace Baptist may have ignored or hidden Ramsey’s crimes. If so, they should also be prosecuted.
And too often, in these cases, church officials do little or nothing to help police and prosecutors. We urge members, volunteers and employees at churches in Ohio and North Carolina where Ramsey spent time to work hard to find those who may have seen, suspected or suffered Ramsey’s crimes and beg them to call secular authorities.
(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 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], [email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected]), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747, bblaine@snapnetwork.org)
Former youth pastor arrested on sexual assault charge By F.T. Norton - StarNews Staff, August 19, 2015
NEW HANOVER COUNTY -- A former youth pastor was arrested this week on a sexual assault allegation from 2013.
Donald Dwayne Ramsey, 45, is charged with felony second-degree sexual offense. He was arrested July 24 at his home in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on the New Hanover County warrant.
New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigators picked Ramsey up from Ohio on Sunday, said Sgt. Jerry Brewer.
According to Brewer, Ramsey was . . .
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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