VIRGINIA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Thursday, June 5, 2014
Statement by Becky Ianni. Virginia director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests ( 703-801-6044, SNAPVirginia@cox.net )
A former school board chairman and federal employee has been indicted on 111 felony charges related to the sexual abuse of four children in Stafford, Virginia.
We applaud the federal authorities and the Stafford County Sheriff’s office for their efforts in bringing Thomas Francis Villacres to justice. Without their efforts, he may never have been exposed and countless children might still be in danger.
Villacres, who currently lives in Florida, is a former teacher and Army officer. We urge the Stafford School system to reach out to other possible victims. We fear that Villacres may have either committed or concealed child sex crimes in the school district.
According to a news report, he was also involved in St. William of York Catholic Church. We are worried that there might be other victims suffering in silence. We hope that Bishop Paul Loverde and the Arlington Catholic Diocese will use all their resources including the diocesan newspaper, church bulletins, and pulpit to encourage other possible victims to come forward to the authorities. We also hope that Loverde will personally visit each parish where Villacres spent time and beg victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to contact law enforcement immediately.
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