WASHINGTON
Spokesman Review
By Virginia de Leon
Staff writer
July 2, 2005
The last few weeks have been a painful time for the Rev. Joseph Weitensteiner, a Roman Catholic priest and the longtime director of Morning Star Boys’ Ranch.
Accused of physically assaulting boys in the 1970s, the priest described the allegations against him as “misleading” but that he supports an investigation to “set the record straight.”
“I want to emphasize my commitment to the organization, to the boys at the Ranch today, and to our alumni,” Weitensteiner wrote in a statement that was released late Friday night. “I have worked with Morning Star since 1957, and as its director since 1966, and this makes the allegations particularly painful, both to me personally and to the organization.”
Last week, The Spokesman-Review reported that the renowned home for troubled boys had repeatedly allowed the physical and sexual abuse of boys in its care, according to records from the Department of Social and Health Services, court documents and interviews with former counselors and residents.