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Topic: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe (Read 383 times)

Rhune
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Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« on: Jun 16^th, 2003, 5:05pm »

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Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
Monday, June 16, 2003 Posted: 5:41 PM EDT (2141 GMT)

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- The Roman Catholic bishop of Phoenix was arrested on Monday in the investigation of a deadly hit-and-run accident after police traced a license plate number to his car and found the windshield caved in.

Bishop Thomas O'Brien, 67, was driven away in an unmarked detective's car. Police said he would be booked on a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

Earlier this month, it was announced that O'Brien had relinquished some of his authority in an unprecedented agreement with prosecutors that spared him from indictment on obstruction charges for protecting child-molesting priests.

O'Brien's attorney did not immediately return a call for comment. In a statement, the diocese said it would cooperate with the investigation.

Sergeant Laurie Williams said detectives were investigating an accident on Saturday night in which a man was killed after being struck by two cars while crossing a street in the middle of the block. Both cars drove off.

Witnesses gave police a partial license plate number from the first car, which led investigators to the diocese, Williams said.

The diocese told the police that it was O'Brien's car, she said. "He does admit that he was driving the vehicle and in the area at the time," Williams said.

Police went to the bishop's home with a search warrant and examined the car. The tan Buick's windshield was caved in on the passenger's side, Williams said. The warrant called for any evidence of blood, hair or glass samples, Williams said.

"We believe his vehicle was involved in an accident," she said.

O'Brien's attorney did not immediately return a call for comment. In a statement, Monsignor Richard Moyer, the diocese's chief of staff, said the diocese would cooperate with the investigation.

"I sincerely regret reports I have received about Bishop O'Brien being involved in a fatal accident," Moyer said. "The sympathy of all of us in the Diocese of Phoenix as well as our prayerful support goes out to the victim's family."

The victim was identified as 43-year-old Jim Reed. Williams said the bishop had told police he was returning home after a Mass on Saturday night. Police had no information on the second car.

O'Brien has been the spiritual leader of 430,000 Catholics in Arizona since 1981.

O'Brien admitted that he allowed priests to work with minors after he knew of sexual misconduct allegations against them and that he transferred them to ministries without telling their new supervisors.

Under the deal with prosecutors, O'Brien agreed among other things to appoint the church equivalent of a chief of staff to supervise the enforcement of the church's sexual misconduct policies.

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Rhune
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #1 on: Jun 16^th, 2003, 5:09pm »

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Holy cow...what exactly is going on in the Catholic Church these days?

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Pau
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #2 on: Jun 16^th, 2003, 7:11pm »

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on Jun 16^th, 2003, 5:09pm, Rhune wrote:

Holy cow...what exactly is going on in the Catholic Church these days?

yeah.... it's very troublesome this days... even back here in Manila... there are also cases of sexual harassments and even rape by priests... the most sensational this days involves a very respectable and distinguished bishop in the Philippines, and he is the bishop of our diocese.... :worried:

well.. we are just praying for the sanctity of our priests...

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Rhune
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #3 on: Jun 16^th, 2003, 10:04pm »

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Yeah...I'm trying to figure out when rape and murder became acceptable by the catholic church...cause it seems like that's the message they are sending...

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Pau
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #4 on: Jun 16^th, 2003, 10:53pm »

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Well... i fear that the temptation among priest has grown so high...probably cause by the publicity, advertisements, and mentality...

I don't think murder and rape is acceptable in the Church though they try to hide the cases for fear of affecting its followers

What I'm worried here in the Phils is that some priests are suggesting to the Church to allow priests to be married... which is contrary to their vow of celibacy...

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Rhune
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #5 on: Jun 16^th, 2003, 11:05pm »

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Well, it seems clear to me that many of them aren't able to give up sex...maybe it would be better to let them have it.

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Pau
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #6 on: Jun 17^th, 2003, 12:16am »

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Maybe... but as a catholic... i wouldn't want that... its against the teachings of the church... and they should lead the church to the right path as was taught by Christ... plus... its the path they've choice... so its either they withdraw priest hood and live as a layperson or stay as chaste as what they vowed when they were ordained...

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Rhune
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #7 on: Jun 17^th, 2003, 1:38am »

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Ahh, but if they lived as a layperson they'd be subject to the layperson's laws instead of having the church forgive them and cover it up for them...

The problem here is by doing this, they have encouraged pedafiles to flock to the catholic church. They know they have both protection and unlimited access to children there.

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Rhune
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #8 on: Jun 17^th, 2003, 5:01pm »

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Bishop charged in fatal hit-and-run
Clergyman had reached immunity deal in sex abuse cover-up
Tuesday, June 17, 2003 Posted: 2:08 PM EDT (1808 GMT)

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- Prosecutors on Tuesday charged Thomas O'Brien, the Roman Catholic bishop of Phoenix, with leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said Bishop Thomas O'Brien would be charged with one count of leaving the scene of an accident.

"Our law here in Arizona, it requires that the driver have known that he injured an individual or a reasonable person should have known that he may have hit an individual," Romley said. "And the facts and circumstances surrounding his conduct after the accident will go directly to that element of the charge."

The charge the bishop faces is a Class-4 felony, which carries a penalty ranging from probation to nearly four years in prison if convicted, according to the spokesman for the Maricopa County attorney's office.

Romley would not comment on a possible sentence, but said the bishop "will not be treated any differently than anybody else."

The charge came after O'Brien, who recently avoided prosecution on charges of covering up sexual abuse by priests in his diocese, was released on bail after he was charged with leaving the scene of a hit-and-run accident that left a pedestrian dead.

O'Brien told an arresting officer that he thought he had hit a dog or a cat or that someone had thrown a rock at his car, according to court documents.

While he was being booked, O'Brien's blood pressure shot up, said Maricopa County attorney's office spokesman Barnett Lotstein. The bishop was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and released a few hours later. He then was booked into the Madison Street Jail, according to Sgt. Randy Force, a Phoenix police spokesman.

The pedestrian killed, Jim Reed, 43, was jaywalking about 8:30 p.m. Saturday and was hit by two cars, Force said.

Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley announces the charge Tuesday.
"He was crossing midblock, and in Arizona that requires a pedestrian to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic, and he did not do that," Force said.

The sergeant said that a witness wrote down the license plate number and description of the first car but that authorities had no information on the second vehicle.

A check showed the first car to be registered to the Phoenix Diocese, Force said. Further investigation led officials to O'Brien's home Monday with a search warrant.

Earlier Monday, investigators seized the bishop's tan Buick, which had a damaged front end and windshield, Force said.

"The bishop has preliminarily told investigators that he's the only person who was driving that car and that he was driving it in that area and at that time Saturday night," Force said.

The diocese did not immediately return calls for comment.

O'Brien, 67, reached a deal June 2 with the Maricopa County attorney's office to avoid a possible indictment on charges that he failed to report sexual misconduct by priests and that he placed or transferred priests or other church personnel to positions in which they could commit further acts of sexual misconduct, a statement from the county attorney's office said.

The deal said the bishop would not be prosecuted if the agreement were implemented in full. It calls for the creation of a position of youth protection advocate to enforce diocese policy on sexual misconduct and a payment by the Phoenix Diocese of $700,000 to the Maricopa County attorney's office for a victim compensation fund, counseling for victims and investigative costs.

Six priests were indicted in the investigation into the sexual abuse allegations in the diocese, according to the Maricopa County attorney's office.

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MzWings
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #9 on: Jun 17^th, 2003, 6:30pm »

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....and so it goes on and on and on! Catholic priests, the Jimmy Swaggarts, etc! All of it just sickens me....

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Pau
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #10 on: Jun 17^th, 2003, 7:19pm »

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Oh.. boy... please dont generalize all Catholic priests... these priests are just lost into temptation... and we (the followers) should help them fight the temptation and pray for them....

The whole Catholic world is being troubled by this events....

rhune... what i meant that they should live as a lay person... is to official leave being priests so that they could marry.... and if by fate they need to be judged like a layperson for their acts... they'd have to face it without fear of greater faults in the name of the Church... Grin

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Rhune
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #11 on: Jun 17^th, 2003, 10:52pm »

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I agree that they should live as a lay person if they are unable to keep to the vows, I'm just saying the current environment in the Catholic Church fosters these people, and there is no reason for them to leave. They have everything they want, and even things they could not get away with as a lay person. It will take the Catholic Church to stop it, but they don't appear to be trying to so far. Sad

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Rhune
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #12 on: Jun 18^th, 2003, 9:47am »

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Pope accepts Phoenix bishop's resignation
Clergyman faces felony charges in fatal hit-and-run accident
Wednesday, June 18, 2003 Posted: 8:03 AM EDT (1203 GMT)

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- Pope John Paul II has accepted the resignation of Bishop Thomas O'Brien of Phoenix, Arizona, who faces charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, CNN confirmed Wednesday.

O'Brien, 67, was charged Tuesday, about two weeks after signing a deal to avoid prosecution stemming from his handling of a sex abuse scandal.

The charge is a Class 4 felony, which carries a penalty ranging from probation to nearly four years in prison if convicted, according to a spokesman for the Maricopa county attorney's office.

He was free on $45,000 bond in the Saturday traffic accident and faces a preliminary hearing June 25.

O'Brien told an arresting officer that he thought he had hit a dog or a cat or that someone had thrown a rock at his car, according to court documents.

"All I will say without commenting [on] the evidence is that I would not have brought charges if I did not believe there as a reasonable likelihood I could sustain this charge before a jury," Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said.

"Our law here in Arizona, it requires that the driver have known that he injured an individual or a reasonable person should have known that he may have hit an individual," he said. "And the facts and circumstances surrounding his conduct after the accident will go directly to that element of the charge."

Romley would not comment on a possible sentence but said the bishop "will not be treated any differently than anybody else."

While he was being booked, O'Brien's blood pressure shot up, said county attorney's office spokesman Barnett Lotstein. The bishop was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital and released a few hours later. He then was booked into the Madison Street Jail, according to Sgt. Randy Force, a Phoenix police spokesman.

The pedestrian killed, Jim Reed, 43, was jaywalking about 8:30 p.m. Saturday and was hit by two cars, Force said.

"He was crossing midblock, and in Arizona that requires a pedestrian to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic, and he did not do that," Force said.

Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley announces the charge Tuesday.
The sergeant said that a witness wrote down the license plate number and description of the first car but that authorities had no information on the second vehicle.

A check showed the first car to be registered to the Phoenix Diocese, Force said. Further investigation led officials to O'Brien's home Monday with a search warrant.

Earlier Monday, investigators seized the bishop's tan Buick, which had a damaged front end and windshield, Force said.

"The bishop has preliminarily told investigators that he's the only person who was driving that car and that he was driving it in that area and at that time Saturday night," Force said.

In a statement issued Monday night, Monsignor Richard Moyer said the Phoenix Diocese will cooperate with police and offered sympathy and "prayerful support" to Reed's family.

"No further statement will be made while the investigation proceeds," Moyer said.

O'Brien has led Phoenix's Catholic community since 1982.

Romley said that the immunity agreement is "separate and distinct" from the hit-and-run charge against O'Brien.

He reached a deal June 2 with the county attorney's office to avoid a possible indictment on charges that he failed to report sexual misconduct by priests and that he placed or transferred priests or other church personnel to positions in which they could commit further acts of sexual misconduct, a statement from the county attorney's office said.

According to the deal, the bishop would not be prosecuted if the agreement were implemented in full. Among its requirements were for the diocese to hire a youth protection advocate who would enforce diocese policy on sexual misconduct and to pay the county attorney's office $700,000 for a victims-compensation fund.

Romley said he had "absolutely no regrets" about signing off on the deal. "To this day, hearing all the arguments, I believe it was the best way to proceed," he said.

Six priests were indicted in the investigation into the sexual abuse allegations in the diocese, according to the county attorney's office.

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MzWings
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Re: Sex case bishop in fatal hit-and-run probe
« Reply #13 on: Jun 18^th, 2003, 2:35pm »

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Amazing....simply amazing.... *shakes head*

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The good fortune to run into the ones that I do
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