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  New Charges for Pastor in Spanking Incidents

By Gene Haschak
Daily Herald [Elgin]
May 12, 2007

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/kanestory.asp?id=312207&cc=k&tc=&t=

The Elgin pastor accused of spanking a 12-year-old girl as a form of counseling was charged with failing to report the sexual abuse allegations she had made — and which led to the counseling sessions, officials said Friday.

Misdemeanor charges against the Rev. Daryl P. Bujak, pastor of the First Missionary Baptist Church, were amended Friday to include battery with physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature and failure to report an incident by a mandated court reporter.

In 2005, the girl had accused a family member of sexual abuse, and her family took her to Bujak for counseling.

Bujak accused the girl of lying and during weekly meetings between March and May 2005 spanked the girl with a 3-foot board, officials said.

The Kane County state's attorney's office contended that as a pastor, Bujak was legally obligated to report the girl's claims of sexual abuse to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

The process of amending the charges delayed Bujak's scheduled April 9 trial.

"Essentially what we are doing now is starting over again," his attorney, Ross Bartolotta, said in court Friday.

Bujak's next status hearing in court is set for June 29 in Elgin.

The girl's relative was charged in McHenry County after the allegations surfaced in 2005, and the case is pending.

Contact: ghaschak@dailyherald.com

 
 

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