BAKERSFIELD (CA)
23 ABC News
June 7, 2019
A new report from Los Angeles law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates details the names and some of the allegations of sexual misconduct against 43 clergymen from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno. Among those 43 clergymen, at least 15 were found to have connections to Kern County.
The Anderson Report on Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Fresno states that the allegations made in the report have either been “settled or have not been fully evaluated in a civil or criminal court.” The report states that, “the allegations should be considered just allegations and should not be considered proved or substantiated in a court of law.”
The report claims to detail a timeline and analysis of sexual abuse within the Diocese of Fresno, “including a discussion of how the highest Church officials enabled the abusers and covered up crimes of sexual misconduct and abuse,” according to the report.
The report states that from the 43 clergymen listed for alleged abuse, these 15 have connections to Kern County:
1.Bp. Tod D. Brown
1964-1967 Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Bakersfield, Calif.(MF)
After Bp. Tod D. Brown was ordained, he spent the next two and half decades rising through the ranks of the Catholic Church. By 1988, he was named Bishop of Boise. After a decade in Boise, Bp. Brown returned to California as Bishop of Orange. Following his new appointment, news broke alleging that Bp. Brown had sexually abused a minor boy in 1965. Subsequently, it was uncovered that, despite his charade of increased sex-abuse transparency, he had a storied history of repudiating victims, covering up sexual abuse, and continually employing perpetrators. Bp. Brown’s status as a priest, current whereabouts, and whether he has access to children are unknown.
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.