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Father of priest abuse victim calls for more victims to come forward

August 25, 2009 By

The parents of a Virginia man who recently went public with information that he was the victim in a $600,000 pedophile priest cover up case are urging other victims to come forward.

L-R: Don Asbee (SNAP), Mary McAllister, David Clohessy (SNAP), Steve McAllister Doctor Mark McAllister came forward to say that he, while a resident of Boonville, was molested by a Father Gerry Howard, who changed his name from Father Carmine Sita after being convicted of criminal activity in New Jersey and ended up in Missouri.

Steve McAllister, the father of the victim, urges others who might have been molested by this priest to report the crimes.

“We strongly would urge any other victims of Howard that have not made their abuse public to do so to the proper authorities,” said Steve McAllister during a sidewalk news conference outside the Jefferson City Diocesan Headquarters.

The McAllister family has been working with David Clohessy, Executive Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), hoping for more openness from the Catholic Church.

“We are terribly worried that Father Howard may literally be molesting a kid as we speak,” said Clohessy, himself a victim of priest abuse.

Steve McAllister believes the Church was complicit in hiding the priest and his deeds.

“I suspect, and I really have no basis for saying this, but I suspect Gerry Howard was not the only such priest that was moved around in this fashion,” said McAllister.

He would like to see the Catholic Church come clean.

“Looking at the sacrament of confession within the Catholic Church, where us mortals are encouraged to come in and tell our tales of misdeeds and so on to a priest and receive absolution, could, I think, very advisedly, be turned around so that the Church, itself, in these cases, goes to confession.”

That, he says, could be done by having the Catholic Church open up its archives regarding sexual abuse by priests.

Download/Listen: Steve Walsh report (:60 MP3)
SNAP Jefferson City news conference (38:00 MP3)

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With: ,

Kids Count report: child abuse down, high school dropouts up

May 17, 2009 By

The annual KidsCount report is out. It provides county-by-county data on the health and wellbeing of Missouri’schildren.

While child abuseand neglect cases in Missouriare down from last year, high school dropout rates are higher.

The Kids Countreport compares information and statistical trends on the conditions of ourstate’s children and families in all 114 counties and the City of Saint Louis.

St. Charles County,just outside of St. Louis,did the best this year. Not the case just a few miles away. St. Louis City scored lowest "across the board," says Scott Gee, director of Citizens for Missouri’sChildren. He says the areas that ranked the lowest are also the state’spoorest.

However, St. Louis did improve its numbers in all categories — save high school dropout rates — over last year.

The report breaksdown the rates for infant mortality, low birth weight, teen pregnancy, students on free or reduced lunches, babies born to mothers without a high school diploma, child deaths, children removed from homes, and violent deaths to teens.

The study also provides a breakout for various economic factors, demographics, family support systems, health and mental health.

For example, St. Louis had 1,226 high school dropouts, or 11.6 percent. St. Charles County had 449 dropouts, or 2.8 percent.

The report states that every day in Missouri:
18 babies are born with a low birth weight
41 children are born to mothers who lack high school diplomas
2 babies die before their ?rst birthday
15 children are removed from their homes
127 children receive attention from the Mo. Department of Social Services
   due to reports of child abuse and neglect
1 child or teen dies
29 teens drop out of school
25 teens between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth
212,369 children live in poverty

Gee says the reportserves local and state policymakers, as well as not-for-profits at the locallevel in identifying needs and boosting certain programs.

To see how your county ranks and individual breakdowns, visit the Citizens for Missouri’s Children Web site.

 

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Senate sponsor pleased child protection legislation signed into law

July 1, 2008 By

The fight against child sexual predators gets some help with additional resources that will soon be available now that Governor Matt Blunt (R-MO) has signed legislation aimed at better protecting children. Senator John Loudon (R-Chesterfield) sponsored Senate Bill 714 – which strengthens laws to allow police to more easily go after predators. But it also commits additional funding to help law enforcement in the effort.

The current law, which is being replaced, only provides for an attempt charge to be filed against anyone trying to use the Internet to set up a sexual encounter with a minor. The big advantage of this new law is that it will provide $3-million annually to fully fund the cyber crimes grant program, with the money spent throughout the state.

Download/Listen: Steve Walsh report (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Legislature Tagged With: , ,

Proposal puts death penalty on the table for rapists of young children

May 16, 2008 By

Lawmakers who are wrapping up the legislative session at the State Capitol could complete this day by approving a proposal to make rapists of young children eligible for the death penalty. The proposal is an amendment to SB 976 – a much larger bill covering several issues.

Representative Bryan Pratt (R-Blue Springs), who put forward the amendment, says the death penalty would not be mandatory for sexual offenses against young children under the age of 12, but it would be an option for prosecutors.

Thursday’s activity in the House ended with Pratt not knowing whether his amendment would remain a part of the larger bill that must be dealt with by 6 o’clock this evening if the bill is to become law.

Download/Listen: Steve Walsh report (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Legislature Tagged With: ,

Governor tours state to call for death penalty for sexual offenders who attack children

April 21, 2008 By

Governor Matt Blunt (R-MO) is renewing his call for the state’s worst sexual predators to be death penalty eligible. The Governor is asking the General Assembly to send him legislation that would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty in cases of forcible rape and forcible sodomy when the victim is younger than 12-years of age.

In issuing his call, Blunt noted a recent child rape case in Springfield where a 36-year-old man has been charged with kidnapping and forcibly raping and sodomizing a 7-year-old girl and leaving her for dead in a burning house. Blunt strongly believes death should be an optional penalty for child rape.

Currently Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas have laws that allow capital punishment for a violent offender convicted of child rape. Alabama, Colorado, Mississippi and Tennessee also are considering similar laws.

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , ,
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