WASHINGTON
Yakima Herald-Republic
By Donald W. Meyers / Yakima Herald-Republic
dmeyers@yakimaherald.com
YAKIMA, Wash. — The foster sister of a man suing the Diocese of Yakima said Thursday that the man, identified as John Doe, was a popular high school athlete before he was reportedly attacked by a church deacon in 1999.
But after the July 29 incident, in which Doe alleges Deacon Aaron Ramirez plied him with alcohol and repeatedly raped him in a trailer at Resurrection Catholic Church in Zillah, he became withdrawn, started drinking and became suicidal. Doe was 17 at the time.
“John Doe looked like someone had torn his soul from him,” the foster sister said, describing when she first saw Doe at the Zillah Police Department after the attack. “He did not look like the John Doe who was my best friend.”
Doe, now 32, is suing the diocese for $3.1 million, claiming that church officials failed to properly check Ramirez’s background when he applied to be a candidate for the priesthood, and failed to supervise him when he served as a deacon in the diocese.
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.