WASHINGTON
The Daily Astorian
By Matt Winters
The Daily Astorian
Published:
January 21, 2016
LONG BEACH, Wash. — At least three Roman Catholic priests stationed in Pacific County from 1958 to 1971 were identified Friday by the Archdiocese of Seattle as being among 77 Catholic clergy believed to have sexually abused Washington state children.
In one case, a Seaview priest identified by the archdiocese as a sex offender was immediately replaced by another also on the offender list. In another instance, the archdiocese has already paid a Pacific County man to settle a lawsuit over molestation by a priest in Raymond.
In all but one case, the implicated local priests are known to be deceased.
Court case
James Knelleken served at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Raymond from 1958 through 1964. In 2009, the archdiocese agreed to a $350,000 settlement with a Pacific County man who said he was abused as a 16-year-old in 1959 by Knelleken, according to contemporary news reports. The victim was only identified by his initials in court documents. A second victim of Knelleken’s from another county settled his case in October 2007 for $110,000, the Associated Press reported.
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