Church abuse inquiries: State by state
‘Predator priests’ case spurs calls for scrutiny
After Pennsylvania’s sweeping investigation into Catholic clergy members’ sexual abuse of minors, victims advocates called for every Roman Catholic diocese in the country to receive the same level of scrutiny.
The Aug. 14 grand jury report says church leaders protected more than 300 “predator priests” in six Roman Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania for decades because they were more interested in safeguarding the church and the abusers than tending to their victims. More than 1,000 young victims were identifiable from the church’s own records, the report says.
Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests called for every state’s attorney general to follow Pennsylvania’s lead and launch formal investigations into how U.S. bishops deal with victims and predator priests.
In the past weeks, attorneys general in Florida, Illinois, Missouri and New York said they are pursuing or considering investigations. Several hurdles stand in the way of a nationwide effort.
The USA TODAY NETWORK reached out to attorney general offices in every state to ask their plans.
Some said they could neither confirm nor deny an investigation.
Many said they lack the powerful tools that Pennsylvania used. They cannot convene a statewide grand jury that has the ability to subpoena documents and compel current and former church officials to answer questions under oath. A number of spokespeople for attorney general offices said they would need a law enforcement agency to refer a case to them.
Here is a state-by-state look:
Alabama
The attorney general’s office does not comment about the possibility of investigations, according to office spokeswoman Joy Patterson.
Alaska
Any investigation would be confidential, so the office could provide no information.
Arizona
“Pennsylvania’s grand jury report is extremely troubling and provides a sobering reminder of the exhaustive investigation former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley conducted of the Phoenix Diocese more than 15 years ago,” said Katie Conner, a spokeswoman for the Arizona attorney general’s office.
The office cannot comment on possible actions, but if similar allegations exist in Arizona, victims should report them to law enforcement, she said.
A grand jury investigation that began in 2002 led to an agreement between the Diocese of Phoenix and Romley that the bishop failed to protect victims of criminal sexual misconduct, The Arizona Republic reported.
Arkansas
“As the chief law enforcement officer for the state, I will not tolerate abuse and will work with local prosecutors and the Catholic diocese to address any issues of this nature arising in Arkansas,” Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in a statement.
The Diocese of Little Rock covers all of Arkansas’ 75 counties.
The office said it could not confirm or deny any potential or ongoing investigation.
Colorado
“Our office is very concerned about protecting vulnerable Coloradans from abuse,” spokeswoman Annie Skinner said.
She said the Colorado attorney general’s office generally has very limited original jurisdiction, but “we are currently taking a closer look at the issue to see what role we could play in evaluating any possible concerns in Colorado.”
Connecticut
Unlike in most states, the Connecticut attorney general has no jurisdiction over criminal matters and instead represents residents in civil matters and as legal counsel to state agencies.
A spokesman for the state’s Division of Criminal Justice said its agency is not considering a grand jury investigation.
“We are not aware of having received any complaints that have not been sufficiently investigated,” said Mark Dupuis, a communication and legislative specialist.
Delaware
“Delaware DOJ recently prosecuted a criminal case of alleged sexual abuse by a priest that occurred in the 1990s, which ended with the death of the defendant prior to resolution of the case,” said Carl Kanefsky, a spokesman for the Delaware Department of Justice.
The department will pursue any legally viable prosecution for sexual offenses but doesn’t comment on pending investigations or whether an inquiry is in progress.
Florida
“In Florida, jurisdiction is different, and these matters are typically handled by the 20 elected state attorneys. However, my statewide prosecutor is reaching out to all of the state attorneys to explore the matter,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
The Pennsylvania grand jury report refers to some of its predator priests moving to Florida.
Georgia
The state attorney general has limited authority on prosecutions, spokeswoman Katie Byrd said.
“Under current circumstances, these cases would be properly facilitated at the local level where an alleged incident took place,” Byrd said.
Hawaii
Hawaii law does not allow for statewide grand jury investigations, according to a response from First Deputy Attorney General Dana Viola.
The office said, “The Hawaii attorney general and the Honolulu prosecutor will investigate any allegation of sexual assault in the first degree, sexual assault in the second degree, or continuous assault of a minor under the age of 14 years, regardless of when these assaults occurred. ... Further, Hawaii laws were recently amended to extend the statute of limitations for civil cases alleging sexual assault. Such victims have until April 2020 to file these civil claims.”
Idaho
The Idaho attorney general’s office referred questions to county prosecuting attorneys. Scott Graf, director of constituent affairs for the state office, said his office has limited criminal authority.
Illinois
On Aug. 23, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan put out a statement that the “Catholic Church has a moral obligation to provide its parishioners and the public a complete and accurate accounting of all sexually inappropriate behavior involving priests in Illinois.”
The Pennsylvania grand jury report identified at least seven priests with connections to Illinois, Madigan said.
“The Chicago Archdiocese has agreed to meet with me. I plan to reach out to the other dioceses in Illinois to have the same conversation and expect the bishops will agree and cooperate fully,” Madigan said. “If not, I will work with states’ attorneys and law enforcement throughout Illinois to investigate.”
Indiana
Melissa Gustafson, a spokeswoman for the Indiana attorney general’s office, said the conduct in Pennsylvania “is beyond reprehensible.”
She said any investigations of criminal sex abuse in her state must begin at the local level after specific allegations against a person or organization.
Iowa
The state attorney general doesn’t have the specific statutory authority to call a statewide investigative grand jury.
“We aren’t currently investigating,
but we are monitoring what other AGs are doing,” communication director Lynn Hicks said. “We prosecute cases that are referred to us by county attorneys, and I’m not aware that we’ve received any recent, specific allegations of abuse involving priests and the Catholic Church.”
Kansas
No statewide or multicounty grand jury system exists under the attorney general.
In a news release Aug. 21, Attorney General Derek Schmidt encouraged victims of child sexual abuse to contact the statewide Victim Assistance Hotline.
“Any victim also may report abuse to any local law enforcement agency. Within the limits of the law, state and local law enforcement agencies in Kansas are committed to enforcing the criminal laws against physical and sexual abuse of children,” Schmidt said. “And our office can assist local authorities upon their request and as resources allow – regardless of when a crime may have occurred or who may have committed it.”
Kentucky
Officials in Kentucky have been in touch with the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office.
“We are looking to see what statutory tools we might have to address any similar issues,” Deputy Attorney General J. Michael Brown said.
Kentucky has no statute that allows its attorney general to use a multidistrict or statewide grand jury – the tool investigators in Pennsylvania used.
But Brown said the “office has a core mission to seek justice for victims of sexual abuse and will continue to pursue every avenue in carrying out that mission.”
Louisiana
The office’s investigations primarily focus “on internet crimes, which we see often lead to hands-on offenses,” spokeswoman Ruth Wisher said.
Wisher said her office recommends that physical acts perpetrated against children be reported to law enforcement and first-responder agencies.
“We, of course, stand ready should law enforcement agencies need assistance from our digital forensic lab examiners and/or our cyberinvestigators,” Wisher said.
Maine
In 2004, a grand jury investigation into the Diocese of Portland, the only one in the state, described the following:
❚ Five district attorneys brought criminal prosecutions for the sexual abuse of minors against priests, clergy members or laypeople working for Catholic schools or churches.
❚ Victims brought additional allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by 20 living and 15 deceased diocese priests; seven laypeople; and six living and five deceased priests or brothers that orders of the church not associated directly with the diocese supervised.
❚ Additional allegations came from
17 victims against a clergy member or clergy members whom the victim or the diocese could not identify.
“To the extent that new allegations have arisen since the date of the report, those have been addressed by the relevant district attorney’s office,” Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin said.
Maryland
The office doesn’t confirm or deny the existence of investigations, office spokeswoman Raquel Coombs said.
“The attorney general encourages those who may have been witnesses or victims of abuse to contact his office,” she said.
Massachusetts
An attorney general’s office report in 2003 said 789 people reported sexual abuse from members of the clergy, according to the Archdiocese of Boston’s files. Evidence showed 250 priests and church workers were accused of rape or sexual assault of children.
“The widespread assault on children has occurred for at least six decades under the administrations of three successive archbishops. Clearly, this massive assault is the responsibility of no one person or administration,” the report said.
In a radio interview, Attorney General Maura Healey said her state has had positive changes to its statute of limitation laws.
She said she hopes the Pennsylvania report encourages victims and survivors to come forward.
“If anything comes to my attention, we will certainly look to investigate and review that,” Healey said.
Michigan
The office couldn’t confirm or deny the presence of an investigation, spokeswoman Megan Hawthorne said.
Minnesota
The attorney general’s office doesn’t have jurisdiction for the type of investigation Pennsylvania conducted, office spokesman Ben Wogsland said.
Mississippi
Office policy is to neither confirm nor deny investigations.
Missouri
On Aug. 23, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley announced an independent review of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, which consists of parishes in the city of St. Louis and 10 eastern Missouri counties.
Archbishop Robert Carlson invited Hawley’s office to review its files.
Carlson said that the archdiocese “has always taken the protection of children and youth as one of our highest priorities.”
In a letter to the archdiocese, Hawley said he anticipated that prosecutors would review documents and interview potential victims and witnesses to acts of alleged abuse.
The website for the Missouri attorney general has a special section for clergy abuse resources that, among other things, says the “jurisdiction to formally investigate alleged criminal activity of this nature lies with local law enforcement, not the attorney general.”
The three other dioceses in Missouri agreed to cooperate with an attorney general’s office review of their files, according to the Missouri Catholic Conference.
In a news release, the Survivors Network of those Abused By Priests said these investigations are “self-serving.” A grand jury has the power to subpoena documents and to compel current and former church officials and staff to answer tough questions under oath.
“What made that Pennsylvania report so valuable was that it did not solely rely on information provided by church officials,” SNAP said in a news release Aug. 27. “As a result, we got much closer to a true understanding of the scope of sexual abuse in Pennsylvania.”
Montana
An investigation must begin locally, then a law enforcement agency can refer the case to the state attorney general’s office or ask for assistance, said John Barnes, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office.
“To my knowledge, no allegations of sexual abuse by clergy have been brought to the attention of this agency,” Barnes said.
Nebraska
Residents have two toll-free hotline numbers they can call if they have been victims of clergy abuse or abuse from anyone in a position of authority, said Suzanne Gage, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska attorney general’s office.
The office does not comment on possible investigations.
Nevada
The office said it could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.
New Hampshire
A grand jury began investigating the state’s sole diocese in 2002, and the attorney general’s office was prepared to charge the Manchester Diocese with multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.
In December 2002, the diocese entered into an agreement with the state to end criminal proceedings. As part of the conditions, the diocese was required to comply with mandatory reporting requirements for sexual abuse of minors that were stricter than the state’s law at the time.
Jeff Strelzin, a spokesman for the office, said no additional investigations were planned.
New Jersey
“We are reviewing the Pennsylvania grand jury report and the work undertaken by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office to determine what, if any, additional actions are appropriate in New Jersey,” said spokesman Leland Moore of the New Jersey attorney general’s office.
The office generally does not confirm or deny ongoing criminal investigations.
New Mexico
New Mexico is mentioned more than two dozen times in Pennsylvania’s grand jury report
Some clergy members were sent to a treatment center in the state after abuse allegations.
“The attorney general is very troubled by additional evidence in the investigative grand jury report which reveals that the diocese participated in a broader conspiracy to hide priests or cover up sexual abuse resulting in victimization of New Mexicans,” spokesman David Carl said. “As such, the OAG is working closely with the Pennsylvania attorney general to identify gaps in legal protections and will increase efforts to prioritize strengthening laws and reporting requirements aimed at preventing these large scale tragedies moving forward.”
New York
On Aug. 16, two days after Pennsylvania’s grand jury report was released, a spokeswoman for the office said Attorney General Barbara Underwood directed her criminal division to reach out to district attorneys to establish a potential partnership.
Those attorneys have the power to convene a grand jury for this type of investigation, office spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick said.
“Victims in New York deserve to be heard as well,” Spitalnick said.
North Carolina
The attorney general has no authority to conduct an investigation similar to Pennsylvania’s or to call a grand jury.
Attorney General Josh Stein encouraged anyone who might have information about sexual misconduct in the church to contact his office at (919) 7166400.
“Our office is prepared to help coordinate with DAs about individual cases and help connect people with counseling and other victims’ services,” office spokeswoman Laura Brewer said.
North Dakota
The prosecution of criminal offenses falls to independently elected county prosecutors, said Liz Brocker, spokeswoman for the North Dakota attorney general’s office.
The state office cannot direct what those prosecutors do or how they do it, Brocker said.
Ohio
The attorney general would need a request from a prosecutor to empanel a grand jury similar to the one used in Pennsylvania, office spokesman Dan Tierney said.
“To date, we have never been requested by any local authority to empanel such an investigative grand jury or to open any such criminal investigation on this matter,” Tierney said.
Oklahoma
“We currently do not have a seated multicounty grand jury,” according to Terri Watkins, director of communication for the attorney general’s office. “We also do not comment on the actions or investigations of a grand jury.”
Oregon
“We are reviewing our options, so it is too early to comment,” said Kristina Edmunson, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office.
Pennsylvania
A series of grand juries has investigated every diocese in the state.
❚ Released in 2005: An investigation into the Philadelphia Archdiocese, led by the city’s district attorney, documented abuse by at least 63 priests.
❚ Released in 2016: An investigation into the Altoona-Johnstown diocese said at least 50 priests or religious leaders were involved in widespread abuse.
❚ Released Aug. 14: A redacted grand jury report described more than 1,000 victims and more than 300 predator priests in the state’s six other Roman Catholic dioceses.
Rhode Island
The office doesn’t comment about potential pending criminal investigations. The state does not have an investigative grand jury similar to the one that released the Pennsylvania report, spokeswoman Amy Kempe said.
South Carolina
The statewide grand jury has jurisdiction over narcotics, human trafficking, criminal gang activity and certain other crimes, but priests’ sexual abuse of children isn’t one of them, said Robert Kittle, a spokesman for the office.
South Dakota
The office couldn’t confirm or deny an investigation, and anything it released would come with an arrest or indictment, spokeswoman Sara Rabern said.
Tennessee
The state attorney general’s office does not have jurisdiction to bring this type of investigation.
Texas
The office could not confirm or deny investigations.
Utah
The office was working on a response.
Vermont
The office had not responded.
Virginia
Spokeswoman Charlotte Gomer of the Virginia Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said, “The abuse detailed in the grand jury report is horrific, and those responsible should be held to account. We generally do not comment on ongoing investigations or confirm whether or not one may be ongoing.
“We encourage any survivors of sexual abuse to reach out to our office or their local law enforcement or commonwealth’s attorney’s office, so they can get connected with resources and support.”
Washington
The office generally doesn’t comment to confirm or deny investigations, said Brionna Aho, a spokeswoman.
West Virginia
The office had not responded.
Wisconsin
The state Department of Justice does not have jurisdiction to begin its own investigation. “The first step in any investigation led by Wisconsin DOJ would be a request from a DA or local law enforcement agency for assistance, and to date, we have not received any such request,” said Rebecca Ballweg, a spokeswoman in the attorney general’s office.
Wyoming
The office had not responded.