ALASKA
Fairbanks News-Miner
By CHRIS TALBOTT
Staff Writer
An attorney representing the Rev. James Poole denied Thursday some of the statements attributed to his client during a hearing in Bethel Superior Court a day earlier.
While Timothy Lynch confirmed in a written statement that his client admitted French-kissing Jane Doe 1 as a child, he denied several other claims made by attorney Ken Roosa, including that the former Catholic priest molested another child and that he was expelled from Alaska for a year because of other abuse allegations.
"Attorney Roosa has made outright misstatements and has mischaracterized testimony," Lynch wrote.
Roosa told the court Wednesday during oral arguments on the defense's proposed protective order that Poole admitted to several allegations made against him. Roosa used the admissions to illustrate his point that some of the documents defense attorneys would have protected from public scrutiny don't merit protection.
Among other things, Roosa said Poole admitted to French-kissing Jane Doe 1 on hundreds of occasions, molesting a 6-year-old girl and being sent away from Alaska because of abuse allegations years before Jane Doe 1 claimed she was abused by Poole, who is now 81 and living in Spokane, Wash.
Poole attorney Madelon Blum declined to address Roosa's statements Wednesday during arguments over the gag order and was traveling afterwards. In his e-mail, Lynch objected to several statements by Roosa, including that Poole admitted that he committed every act Jane Doe 1 alleged in the March 2003 civil complaint she filed against Poole; the Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska; the Society of Jesuits, Oregon Province; and the Society of Jesuits, Alaska.
Posted by kshaw at January 28, 2005 08:47 AM