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	Grand Jury Hears More Witnesses in Ratigan Case By Judy L. Thomas, Glenn E. Rice and Mark Morris Kansas City Star August 26, 2011 http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/26/3102537/grand-jury-hears-more-witnesses.html A Jackson County grand jury on Friday wrapped up its second day of hearings into a case involving a suspended Catholic priest already facing state and federal child pornography charges. Most of those testifying at the Jackson County Criminal Justice Center were kept from the public's view and did not enter the building through the main doors. Jurors were dismissed in the early afternoon, but it was unclear whether the grand jury had concluded its proceedings. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker attended at least some of the sessions. Several sources confirmed the sessions. A spokesman for Baker said he could neither confirm nor deny the existence of a grand jury. The witness lineup suggests the grand jury inquiry is focused more on the conduct of officials within the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph rather than that of the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, who has been charged with child pornography offenses in Clay County and in U.S. District Court. On Thursday, the grand jury heard from at least a half dozen people, including Rebecca Summers, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and Richard Smith, a Kansas City police captain whose opinion diocesan officials sought on a photo taken by the priest. Smith also is a member of a diocesan review board that considers allegations against priests. Summers appeared before the grand jury for about 40 minutes. Summers, who was accompanied by a lawyer, declined to comment afterward. On Friday, she also declined to comment on whether other diocesan officials had appeared. "We are cooperating fully with law enforcement," Summers said. Smith also appeared before the grand jury on Thursday. The diocese has said it contacted a Kansas City police officer in December and described "one of the more disturbing images" from Ratigan's computer, asking whether it constituted child porn, and the officer said it did not. Police later confirmed the officer was Smith but said he was told about only one photo and was not made aware there were other more graphic images on Ratigan's computer. Diocesan officials have been heavily criticized for failing to take immediate action when concerns were raised about Ratigan. A Catholic school principal complained to diocesan officials in May 2010 about Ratigan's allegedly inappropriate behavior around children. His church superiors counseled Ratigan to moderate his conduct but otherwise took little action. Diocesan authorities in December learned of what prosecutors later alleged was child pornography on Ratigan's computer. They relieved Ratigan of his pastoral duties at a Northland church and sent him to live at a mission house in Independence, where he allegedly attempted to take pornographic photos of a young girl. Ratigan was charged in May with three counts of possession of child pornography in Clay County. Federal grand jurors later charged him with 13 counts of production, attempted production and possession of child porn. Bishop Robert Finn has repeatedly apologized for his handling of the case. Contact: jthomas@kcstar.com Contact: grice@kcstar.com
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