Man Held Church Positions That Involved Working with Children
NBC 4
December 12, 2007
http://www.nbc4.com/news/14832272/detail.html
ROCKVILLE, Md. — Police have charged a Catholic church deacon with sexual offenses against a close female relative, who was a minor at the time, and they said he may have had inappropriate contact with more children.
Dan Paul Stallings, 71, of the 10000 block of Woodland Drive in Silver Spring, was charged on Tuesday with 10 counts of incest as a result of incidents that allegedly took place in the 1960s and 1970s.
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The victim, who recently came forward, told police that over a period of six years, Stallings sexually assaulted her more than 60 times in the bedroom and bathroom of the Stallings family home, News4's Pat Collins reported.
Stallings has served since 1986 as a deacon at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church located at 10103 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring.
Police said the alleged abuse took place outside of Stallings' ministry and did not occur on church property. However, Stallings was active in the parish's Catholic Youth Organization and served in various other positions working with children over the years.
Police said there is reason to be concerned that he may have had inappropriate contact with other children.
The Archdiocese of Washington said in a statement Wednesday that Stallings has cleared criminal background checks required under the Child Protection Policy of the archdiocese for all clergy, employees and volunteers who have contact with children.
The archdiocese said letters are being sent to parishioners and parents informing them of the charges.
Many people around the church Wednesday said they were surprised by the charges.
Permanent deacons are ordained clergy who assist with preaching, parish service and other functions. They may be married or single.
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Stallings is described as a white man, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds. He wears eyeglasses and is currently bald, but had dark hair in his younger years.
He is currently being held at the Montgomery County Detention Center on $250,000 bond.
Anyone who has reason to be concerned about inappropriate contact with Stalling should contact police at 240-773-5426.
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