Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson released Thursday a “Report on Clergy Sexual Abuse”, the final report from an investigation that started in 2018. That is when the Nebraska Department of Justice sent letters to the bishops of the three Nebraska Dioceses that requested files of misconduct in their possession of reports of child sexual abuse dating back to 1978.
A number of Nebraska law enforcement agencies took part in this investigation and the DOJ issued 426 subpoenas to Catholic churches and schools statewide. They were ordered to release documentation regarding reports or accusations of sexual abuse committed by any employee.
Priests who were being investigated for sexual assault were also asked to undergo psychological evaluations. Those records were released by the Grand Island and the Lincoln Dioceses. A protective order signed by the district court was needed to obtain the information from the Omaha Archdiocese.
Information in the report includes church files, interviews conducted by law enforcement and calls to the Hotline and Tip Line. Subpoenaed records from individual churches and schools, liability insurance companies, and media reports were also included.
Investigation involved:
A complete examination of the files of over 200 clergy members and diocesan employees, as well as the supplemental material requested in subpoena requests.
An investigation of over 120 calls to the Hotline and Tip Line. The calls came from citizens who reported various types of sexual improprieties committed by clergy members or diocesan employees. Many of the calls came from victims of sexual abuse. Some calls were from parents or siblings who were told about incidents of sexual abuse from the victim. Most of the incidents had never been reported to law enforcement.
A review of reports from newspapers and other media outlets chronicling sexual abuse by clergy members or diocesan employees.
A review of 12 hours of recorded interviews with those reporting sexual abuse.
Examination of nearly 30,000 pages of relevant material.
There were credible allegations from 258 victims across the three dioceses in Nebraska. There were 97 victims from the Lincoln Diocese, 158 from the Omaha Diocese and 3 from the Grand Island Diocese. The total number of church officials including, priests, deacons and Catholic school teachers totaled 57. The report also found in many cases there was an opportunity for justice for the victims.
Residents are required by law to report at-risk children. The Nebraska Child Abuse Hotline number is 1-800-652-1999.
The entire report is available by clicking here.