PEORIA (IL)
WEEK TV Channel 25
February 14, 2019
Jeff Jones says he was just 9 years old when the beloved Priest he first met at St. Joseph’s in Pekin started sexually abusing him.
“Every day,” he begins with a long pause, “…since I was nine or 10, I think about this.”
And he’s not alone in his claims. The attorney who represented him and 11 others in a lawsuit later settled with the Peoria Diocese said these cases are still happening today.
Frederick W. Nessler, Attorney: ” Well we’ve handled between 200 and 300 cases, and I think it’s north of 250, now. I think we have 40 cases in house, presently, we’re working on,” explained Attorney Frederick W. Nessler of The Law Offices of Frederick W. Nessler & Associates, Ltd.. Admittedly, he has multiple law offices in several states including Illinois, and some of those cases involved sexual abuse in other denominations and institutions, but he reiterated the majority of them involved the Catholic Church.
For Jones, he says the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of Father Walter Breuning lasted 6 years, but took him decades to reveal.
“I think it boils down to shame and humiliation,” Jones shares.
It’s something Illinois State University Professor Shelly Clevinger, PhD says is common among victims of sexual abuse.
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