Gonzaga University Employee Faces Sexual Assault Charges
By Tim Drake
A Gonzaga University employee is facing seven felony charges, including first-degree rape and first-degree child molestation, that took place in 1998 or 1999 when the victim was 10, The Spokesman-Review is reporting. The employee, a general maintenance worker at the time, has been placed on administrative leave by the University. The Spokesman-Review reports that the worker knew the victim and the victim's family. The charges prompted Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh to write an email to University staff last Friday. “The allegations state that some abuse may have taken place on Gonzaga’s campus; specifically, there are allegations that one or more instances occurred in our fitness facilities,” McCulloh wrote in an email obtained by The Cardinal Newman Society. “The incidents alleged in these charges are extremely serious, and I am deeply saddened to learn of them.” Gonzaga University did not respond to telephone calls made by The Cardinal Newman Society seeking additional comment. In addition to sexual abuse, the young victim described being shown hidden peep holes in 2003 that allowed him and others to see inside the campus female locker room. The university, in its Friday letter to employees, said it has conducted a thorough review of all facilities mentioned and stated that they are “maintained with the highest standard of privacy, safety and security in mind.” The victim told investigators that sex acts occurred both at a furniture store and on Gonzaga’s campus in the “library, in closets, locker rooms, and in the gym area,” according to court records. The sex acts continued for about five years. Catholic Education Daily is an online publication of The Cardinal Newman Society. Click here for email updates and free online membership with The Cardinal Newman Society.
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