ILLINOIS
Lincoln Courier
BY JAMES WASHBURN
THE COURIER
Francis Benham, who most recently resided in Lincoln, will be freed in Maryland Sunday after serving nearly a year behind bars for sexual offenses he committed nearly three decades ago while a Catholic priest in Prince George’s County, Md.
With permission from officials in Maryland and Illinois, Benham could return to Lincoln where he lived from 1987 until 2004 – an action a national support group is trying to prevent.
Members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, are rallying to persuade Illinois and Maryland officials to halt Benham’s return.
SNAP members from four states drafted a letter addressed to Illinois Corrections Director Roger Walker and Walker’s counterpart in Maryland, Mary Ann Saar.