PUEBLO (CO)
The Pueblo Chieftain
By PATRICK MALONE
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
A third lawsuit over allegations of sexual abuse by a former Catholic brother at Roncalli High School was filed in Pueblo district court on Wednesday.
The suit alleges the abuse was reported to the local diocese years before subsequent allegations surfaced, and nothing was done to keep the brother away from boys.
In a press conference outside the Pueblo Judicial Building, plaintiff Tom Monroe and his lawyer announced the suit. Monroe, of Pueblo, is the first of three former Roncalli students who've filed suit against the Catholic Diocese of Pueblo and the Society of Mary to go public with his identity.
The suits stem from allegations that Brother William Mueller used ether to subdue students at the school, then raped or fondled them while they were unconscious.
"What we're finding out about Roncalli is unfortunately what we're finding about dioceses around the country," said Jeffrey Herman, Monroe's lawyer from the Miami firm of Herman & Mermelstein. "The diocese was notified. They did nothing to protect the children after that. (Mueller) is a monster. He is one of the worst serial pedophiles I have ever seen."