Despite No Charges, Accusers in Ex-kc Priest Sex Case Still Credible: Wyoming Bishop

By Judy L. Thomas
Kansas City Star
June 11, 2020

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[VIDEO: 'I couldn’t imagine that a man that I loved this much could do something so evil.' Susie McClernon is still dealing with the trauma of the sexual abuse her youngest brother, Kevin Hunter, suffered years ago. Hunter died in 1989.]

A Wyoming prosecutor’s decision not to file child sexual abuse charges against a former Kansas City priest who later became Bishop of Cheyenne doesn’t mean the alleged victims were not credible, the leader of that state’s Catholics said Thursday.

“I commend the victims who have spoken courageously about their abuse,” said Bishop Steven Biegler, head of the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, in a strongly worded statement. “I also stand behind the determination made by the Diocese of Cheyenne that allegations of sexual abuse against former Bishop Hart are credible.”

Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen in Casper, Wyoming, could not immediately be reached for comment. Cheyenne is in Laramie County, but Itzen was appointed as special prosecutor in the case because of a conflict of interest within the Laramie County District Attorney’s office.