May 31, 2005

Churchgoers press on after airing of tapes

ANCHORAGE (AK)
Anchorage Daily News

By LISA DEMER
Anchorage Daily News

Published: May 31st, 2005
Last Modified: May 31st, 2005 at 02:27 AM

Almost a month after a sensational, hidden-camera television report showing an Anchorage priest seeking sex, the bizarre case of the Rev. Robert Bester remains unresolved. An investigation by the Anchorage Archdiocese is on hold, and a lawsuit is pending. But Bester's parish is moving on -- even if some churchgoers have been left wondering about the oddly behaving priest who served them for less than a year.

The abrupt departure of Bester, a retired Catholic priest from northern Minnesota, stems from an accusation by an unemployed Anchorage man that Bester wanted sex and offered him money and a construction job. The man, Fred May, secretly recorded two of the conversations with the help of a local television station.

The grainy, black-and-white video showing the priest talking dirty aired on KTVA Channel 11 in early May during the key ratings period.

May, who said he was scared by Bester's claim to also be "Dracula," agreed recently to be interviewed about his encounters with the priest.

Posted by kshaw at May 31, 2005 06:29 AM