MARYLAND
The Washington Times
By Jon Ward
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
January 22, 2006
Donna Kollars confronted and helped convict the Catholic priest who abused her 28 years ago. Now she wants to protect others upon his scheduled released today from the Prince George's County jail.
"If I can do anything to help other families not go through this, I'm going to do it," Mrs. Kollars says.
She was 13 in 1978 when Francis A. Benham, then pastor of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Forestville, began to sexually abuse her.
Last year, Mrs. Kollars pressed charges against Benham, who pleaded guilty to sodomizing her and to molesting a then-15-year-old boy named Matthew Ponton, who today is a lieutenant colonel in the Army.
Prince George's Circuit Court Judge Michelle Hotten sentenced Benham to 10 years for each crime, but suspended all but 18 months.