DAVENPORT (IA)
Quad-City Times
By Thomas Geyer
He only has lost a lawsuit in civil court and is not required to register as a sex offender in Iowa.
But a group known as Catholics for Spiritual Healing distributed fliers Thursday evening in the 400 block of West Columbia Avenue in Davenport to warn people that defrocked priest James Janssen is allegedly living nearby.
Janssen's nephew, Jim Wells, who won a $1.89 million judgment in May against his uncle for nine years of sexual abuse that ended in 1962, was among the group. "This is not revenge," Wells said. "If we can protect one child, this was well worth the effort."
About 12 people went door to door in the area putting the fliers on car windows and front doors or handing them to area residents. Janssen came out of one of the apartment buildings and took at least one flier off a car window.
The Rev. David Hitch, a member of the group, tried to talk to Janssen. He later said Janssen merely said to him, "How can you be so cruel," before heading back indoors.