NORTH CAROLINA
Citizen-Times
Emily Patrick and Julie Ball, jball@citizen-times.com February 12, 2016
The Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina in an open letter to parishioners this month acknowledged a rector has been accused of sexual abuse while serving at a Waynesville church for 12 years.
The diocese said a member of Grace Episcopal Church in the Mountains in Waynesville reported being sexually abused by the Rev. Howard White while she was a juvenile. In the letter, Bishop G. Porter Taylor urged anyone who might have been a victim contact the diocese.
Waynesville police said the department is investigating, but White has not been charged with a crime. The diocese in its letter also said White has not been charged, though he also faces similar accusations elsewhere. White served as rector of Grace Episcopal from 1984 to 2006.
Waynesville police Lt. Chris Chandler said the investigation is ongoing.
“It’s still the beginning stages of this investigation,” he said, adding this type of inquiry operates with a “different time frame.”
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