WYOMING
Casper Star-Tribune
July 14, 2020
By Seth Klamann
https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/natrona-county-prosecutors-again-decide-not-to-charge-retired-bishop-with-sexual-abuse/article_ae3f36e3-5a99-528c-b755-a79264e3b223.html
Natrona County prosecutors have again decided not to pursue sexual abuse charges against retired bishop Joseph Hart, who has been accused of abusing boys dating back to the early 1960s.
The decision was confirmed Tuesday by Michael Schafer, an assistant district attorney in Natrona County. In a message to the Star-Tribune, Schafer said that prosecutors “did take a look at it for the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office, and after reviewing the investigation, we don’t feel like we can be successful” in prosecuting Hart. Cheyenne’s top prosecutor recused herself from adjudicating the case last year, citing a conflict.
The decision brings an end to six weeks of uncertainty for alleged victims and concludes a two-year criminal investigation into Hart, who was a top Catholic cleric in Wyoming for a quarter-century. In early June, a victim’s advocate from the Natrona County District Attorney’s Office called the alleged victim at the center of this case and told him Hart would not be investigated. Then, two weeks later, prosecutors decided to review the case again, after meeting with Cheyenne Police and realizing that prosecutors had misread documents foundational to the case.
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.