DES MOINES (IA)
Des Moines Register
November 9, 2018
By Daniel P. Finney
It’s been revealed that hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania were part of child sex abuse cover up.
Iowans may never know the extent of child sexual abuse by priests and subsequent cover-ups by dioceses in the state at the level of detail now known about Pennsylvania.
Even after the revelation from Iowa Associated Press reporter Ryan Foley about abuse by the Rev. Jerome Coyle, who admitted in 1986 to abusing at least 50 boys over 20 years, a massive statewide investigation such as the one in Pennsylvania is unlikely in Iowa, because of the way the state’s laws are written.
The power to conduct investigations is generally left to local jurisdictions rather than the state. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller’s deputies can assist or lead an investigation at the request of a local county attorney, but can rarely launch a formal investigation, said Lynn Hicks, spokesman for Miller.
“Pennsylvania used a statewide grand jury statute, which is a power Iowa law doesn’t specifically give the state attorney general,” Hicks said.
OK, fine. Let the local jurisdictions take it up. There are three dioceses in Iowa — Davenport, Des Moines and Sioux City — and the archdiocese in Dubuque.
Why don’t the county attorneys in Scott, Polk, Woodbury and Dubuque talk up the investigation?
“We operate on complaints,” said Ralph Potter, Dubuque county attorney. “If we had a report of abuse by clergy in our district, that would justify us looking into it, but we can’t just start an investigation without having cause.”
Iowa law enforcement is also hampered by the state’s statute of limitations for sex crimes. Currently, state law allows for prosecution of sex abuse crimes committed against minors to be brought up to 10 years after the minor turns 18.
Coyle reported his abuse to the now-retired Bishop Lawrence Soens, who later was found to have abused students when he was a priest and parochial school principal.
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