Blair County Clergy Accused of Child Sexual Abuse in Ohio

By Stef Davis
WJAC
January 17, 2013

http://www.wjactv.com/news/news/blair-county-clergy-accused-child-sexual-abuse-ohi/nTym3/

St. Bernadine's Monastery near Hollidaysburg is now the home of Brother Stephen Baker--a man accused of sexually assaulting 11 boys in Ohio in the 1980s.

Wednesday, for the first time, some of baker's alleged victim's speaking out in Ohio.

Voice of alleged victim: "He would take you into a closed, taped training room where no one could see in and he would put you in a whirlpool and uh watch you take a whirlpool or massage your...different areas...private areas...maybe areas unrelated to your injury."

Victim's lawyers saying Baker settled with the boys out of court back in October. He was never criminally charged.

And Wednesday night, leaders of the Blair County monastery where Baker lives reacting--telling 6 News: "Brother Stephen has been and continues to be removed from all public ministry and is living under supervision in which he has no contact with minors."

The Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests or SNAP, sent out a press release to local media. They are concerned that the public in Blair County was not made aware of Baker's past when he took his new position at St. Bernadine's.

David Clohessy, SNAP, says, “Kids are safest when predators like Baker are jailed, but if they can't be jailed, the next best thing is to be honest where they are, who they are, where they are living."