BishopAccountability.org
	Former New England Priest Faces Sexual Assault Charges NECN July 8, 2011 http://www.necn.com/07/07/11/Former-New-England-priest-faces-sexual-a/landing_newengland.html?blockID=539914&feedID=4206 [with video] Seventy-eight year old disgraced former Episcopal priest Franklin Huntress is back home in Marblehead, Mass after posting $25,000 cash bail. He was arraigned on charges he sexually assaulted a child back in the 1980s in Manchester and Bedford, New Hampshire. Despite Huntress's denial, detectives say not long ago, an alleged victim walked into Manchester Police - officers took it from there. These are only the most recent allegations of abuse against the former clergyman, who was removed from service. Others date back to 1974 when he served at Grace Church in Manchester. Huntress's career spans five decades - several states and stints in England, where he was charged with abusing a child. That case never moved on to trial. According to the Diocese of MA, most recently, since he formally retired in 1995, Huntress had been at the Church of the Advent in Boston, and had close ties with the Church of the Holy Name in Swampscott and St. Michael's in Marblehead. And in town is where Huntress has been living - and where he was arrested June 30th. "I'm out of jail and it's one of these things I was never in jail so in that way we're taking care of things," Huntress said. "It's not that they slip through the cracks it's just that they don't wear labels. And if they had horns and a pitchfork, well we'd find out real quickly but it's just not that simple," said Tim Rich, the assistant to the Episcopal Bishop in New Hampshire. He says when church officials learned about allegations of abuse against Frank Huntress a few months ago, they went to Grace Church to meet with parishioners. "There was one person from the congregation during the time that Mr. Huntress was present who did step forward. He came in and spent time with the Bishop and me. We had several conversations with him. The first thing that the Bishop said was I'm sorry," Rich added. Diocesan officials and police encourage any other victims to come forward, and to call Manchester or Bedford, NH police.
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