St. George's School Scandal Continues: Former Associate Chaplain Arraigned in Boston

By Margo Sullivan
The Patch
December 13, 2016

http://patch.com/rhode-island/middletown/st-georges-school-scandal-continues-former-associate-chaplain-arraigned

The statute of limitations will not prevent Massachusetts from arraigning a priest who allegedly assaulted a St. George's School student more than 40 years ago.

Howard “Howdy” White Jr., 75, of Bedford, Pennsylvania, was arraigned today for allegedly assaulting a student in his care during two trips to Boston more than 40 years ago, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

He is charged with five counts of assault and battery. The indictments, which were returned Nov. 21, charge White with sexually assaulting the boy during two trips to Boston in 1973 when the victim was between 15 and 16 years old.

White appeared voluntarily at arraignment and prosecutors did not request bail. He was ordered to surrender his passport, not to have contact with the victim, and not to have any unsupervised contact with any children under 18.

At the time of the alleged offenses, Massachusetts had not yet enacted the indecent assault and battery statute, Conley said. The statute of limitations does not bar prosecutors from trying the case because White has never been “usually and publicly a resident within the commonwealth” as required by that statute.

“Whether as a child or as an adult, disclosing sexual abuse can be the most daunting experience in a person’s life,” Conley said. “Survivors everywhere should know that they can feel safe and supported coming to us, and that we place their well-being above all else as we investigate and prosecute the harm committed against them.”

Assistant District Attorney Audrey Mark, chief of Conley’s Child Protection Unit, told the court that White was an associate chaplain and the victim was a student at St. George’s School in Middletown, Rhode Island, during the time frame in question.

"As an academic advisor, White allegedly befriended the youngster, bringing him over to help with his studies and taking him out to dinner," according to the prosecution. "In the spring and fall of 1973, he allegedly took the boy on overnight trips, including two trips to Boston, where they stayed at a hotel and White assaulted him."

In his sophomore year, prosecutors say, the victim confronted White about the abuse and told him it had to stop. White responded, “If you try to stop, I’ll make your life difficult,” prosecutors said. The victim reported the abuse to school faculty in 1974, and White allegedly admitted to a faculty member that he had sexually assaulted the boy.

His trial is scheduled for June 26, 2017.

Contact: rbrown@altoonamirror.com