Posted on 07/02/2008 8:51:23 PM PDT by Coleus
A trial was scheduled Wednesday for an Elgin pastor accused of spanking a 12-year-old girl he thought had lied to him about being molested by a relative. The Rev. Daryl Bujak is set to face a jury starting Sept. 29, in what is expected to be up to a three-day trial in Kane County Judge Allen Anderson's courtroom.
Bujak, 32, is accused of battery and failure to report a suspected sexual assault. He is free on bail and maintains he is not guilty of the allegations. The McHenry County girl first came to Bujak, a pastor at the First Missionary Baptist Church, in March 2005, and said she had been sexually abused on several occasions.
Believing she was lying, Bujak used a 3-foot-long piece of wood molding to spank the girl after weekly counseling sessions over a roughly two-month span, authorities have said. The battery charge is a misdemeanor offense but the failure to report allegation has been a point of contention as Bujak's case has inched closer to trial.
His attorney has argued Bujak was not required to report the alleged abuse, a case being handled in McHenry County, because he would violate the clergy's confidentiality privilege. Prosecutors, however, have successfully argued that once Bujak revealed the information to the girl's parents, he was no longer protected by the confidentiality shield.
The case is back in court again Sept. 25, where attorneys on both sides are expected to argue any pretrial motions.
The Catholic Diocese of San Diego announced Tuesday (Feb. 27) it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. They made the move hours before it was scheduled to go to trial in the first of more than 140 lawsuits alleging sex abuse by priests. In a letter posted on the diocese’s Web site, Bishop Robert H. Brom said the diocese made its decision because any damage awards in the earlier trials “could deplete diocesan and insurance resources” and leave nothing for other victims. Plaintiffs’ attorneys expressed outrage at the filing and accused the church of using bankruptcy as a way to keep potentially embarrassing information under wraps.
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