ST. LOUIS (MO)
Belleville News-Democrat
JIM SALTER
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS - A former St. Louis priest recently released from prison after sexual misconduct convictions were overturned now faces another sexual abuse lawsuit.
Tony Pettus of south St. Louis claims in the lawsuit filed Monday that James Beine forced Pettus to touch his penis in 1970 or 1971 while Beine took children from St. Andrew's parish on a camping trip in southern Missouri. Pettus was not a member of the parish but was invited along by a friend.
The lawsuit did not say how old Pettus was at the time, but said he was a minor. It claims that as a result of the incident, Pettus has incurred expenses for medical and psychological treatment. The Archdiocese of St. Louis and Archbishop Raymond Burke are also named.
Beine, 63, was released from the Farmington Correctional Center June 2 after serving more than two years for allegedly exposing himself to children in a boys' bathroom at a St. Louis grade school where he was working as a counselor.
The Missouri Supreme Court ordered Beine's release in May after ruling the state's indecent exposure statute was unconstitutionally vague. On the day of his release, Beine said, "I knew that time would tell. I never committed any of these crimes."