SHERMAN (TX)
KTEN News
February 1, 2019
By Brittany Breeding
Now that sexual abuse allegations have been publicly raised against three former Sherman clergymen, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office is prepared to hear from anyone who wants to file a report.
On Thursday, the Catholic Diocese of Dallas issued a list of church personnel with credible allegations of sexual abuse of children. That list included three men with links to St. Mary’s Catholic Parish in Sherman:
Jeremy Myers, a fixture at St. Mary’s for more than two decades, was removed as a priest last year.
John Duesman died in 1984.
Michael Flanagan died in 2008.
Sheriff Tom Watt said there are no known cases involving Myers in Grayson County, but that is subject to change now that the names have been made public.
“I know the churches are trying to encourage people if they feel they need to make a report to please come and make a report,” said sheriff’s office spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Bigham. “That way the information can be looked into by law enforcement.”
Abuse allegations are being handled by Lt. Heath Wester at 903-813-2216.
The Dallas Diocese provided a copy of its list to police agencies, and the Catholic community seems to be supportive of this decision.
“I think it’s very, very positive that this is happening,” said parishioner Mary Walker of Denison. “Change is good for everyone, including the Catholic church or any church, any religious forum.”
The priests who were investigated by the Diocesan Review Board date all the way back to 1950.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.