CALIFORNIA
The Press Democrat
By GUY KOVNER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Saturday, February 23, 2013
Sebastopol police are beginning to delve into a 42-year-old case of alleged sexual assault linked to a Catholic priest, including the reason why it was reported long after the victim’s death, Police Chief Jeff Weaver said.
Although the police chief would not identify the suspect in the case, it clearly is related to the Rev. John Crews, the long-time director of the Hanna Boys Center near Sonoma who resigned unexpectedly Feb. 6. The Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa has acknowledged that Crews resigned in the wake of an allegation of sexual misconduct about 40 years ago.
Prior to taking the top spot at Hanna Boys Center, a highly regarded facility for at-risk boys, in 1984 Crews, 67, served at St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Sebastopol.
Weaver said he believes the male victim died “years ago” and that he had told the person who reported the crime earlier this month not to disclose it nor to notify police.
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