By Paul Feely
New Hampshire Union Leader
July 7, 2011
http://www.newhampshire.com/article/20110707/NEWS03/707089975/0/newhampshire
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| HUNTRESS |
A former Episcopal priest who served at Grace Episcopal Church in Manchester in the 1970s has been arrested on a sexual assault charge stemming from allegations made against him by a former parishioner.
Following a five-month investigation by detectives in both the Manchester and Bedford police departments, former Episcopal priest Franklin Huntress, 78, of Marblehead, Mass., was arrested on a charge of felonious sexual assault on June 30, with assistance from Marblehead police. The charge stems from allegations made by a former parishioner of Grace Episcopal Church, regarding a sexual assault that occurred during the early 1980s, according to Bedford police.
“He was no longer stationed at the church in Manchester when the incidents we are alleging took place, but he was visiting New Hampshire for reasons we aren’t divulging at this time,” said Bedford Detective Matt Fleming. “The incidents we are alleging, we believe they took place at a location in Bedford as well as Manchester, which is why we have the two jurisdictions involved.”
Neither Manchester nor Bedford police would comment further on the exact nature of the assault that allegedly took place, but said the charge stemmed from two incidents involving a child under the age of 13.
Huntress has faced allegations of sexually abusing children in Massachusetts, New York, and was arrested on charges of child sexual abuse in England in 1994.
“The investigation was undertaken after the victim came forward to Manchester police, and then we became involved,” said Fleming.
Huntress was arrested without incident as a fugitive from justice in Massachusetts, and later extradited to New Hampshire, where he was arraigned yesterday in Hillsborough County Superior Court on a felonious sexual assault charge. Bail was set at $25,000 cash, and he was held yesterday at the Valley Street Jail.
The victim came forward after an appeal to Grace Church parishioners was made by the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire earlier this year.
“The church has a responsibility to investigate any allegations involving priests,” said Rev. Canon Timothy Rich, Canon to the Ordinary and Deployment for the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.
“We delivered that message to Grace Church parishioners. The Bishop put a notice in a bulletin asking anyone who may know of any incidents involving this priest to please come forward and talk to us, and I personally delivered that message to the church, after seeing a story that he was removed from the priesthood in Massachusetts.”
Following that appeal, church officials were put in contact with the alleged victim.
“We were made aware of an individual, through back channels, that grew up in Grace Church and may have a story to tell,” said Rich.
“We contacted the individual, and the Bishop’s first question was, ‘How can we help?’ The person said that just listening to the story was enough. We talked to them, and told then that it was our duty to inform the police, and they agreed with that. We’ve cooperated fully with the Manchester police through the entire investigation.”
Huntress was removed from the priesthood by Massachusetts Bishop Thomas Shaw on Feb. 11, after he resigned rather than face a church trial after allegations surfaced that he sexually abused a child in England in 1994, as well as at an undisclosed location in the United States in 1974, when he was serving at Grace Episcopal Church.
Caron would not confirm or deny that New Hampshire Episcopal Diocese officials were aware of any additional alleged victims.
“The one victim we are talking about is the only person we were able to reach and speak with regarding their situation,” said Caron.
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