April 23, 2005

Ex-Guernsey priest accused of abuse

CHEYENNE (WO)
Billings Gazette

Associated Press

CHEYENNE - A Platte County man is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, a church in Guernsey and the town's former priest, whom the plaintiff claims sexually abused him as a teen.

Theodore Carr filed suit in state District Court of Laramie County last month. He claims the abuse occurred between 1980 and 1988 when he was a teenage parishioner at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Guernsey, where Anthony Jablonowski - who is now in prison - was priest.

The diocese, which hasn't yet filed an answer to the complaint, has hired Cheyenne attorney Paul Hickey to represent its interests. Father Michael Carr, of Casper, who isn't related to the plaintiff, said the church is willing to listen to the man's story.

"In terms of Ted's concerns, and helping him with his life and what happened, we have concerns for him," Carr said Thursday, "but I guess it's in the hands of lawyers."

Theodore Carr has asked for a jury trial, but the complaint doesn't address compensation.

The suit names the diocese and the Guernsey church because the plaintiff believes church leaders knew or should have known Jablonowski was a threat to children, according to the complaint.

Posted by kshaw at April 23, 2005 07:38 AM