YAKIMA (WA)
Yakima Herald
December 8, 2018
By Tammy Ayer
Several priests who served at Catholic churches in Yakima County appear on a list released Friday of Jesuits with credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adults.
The list includes Jesuits who are or were members of Jesuits West Province, the former California and the former Oregon Provinces, against whom a credible claim of sexual abuse of someone under age 18 or a vulnerable adult has been made, according to a news release. Jesuits West takes in Arizona, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
“This list of Jesuits with credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult, dating to 1950, is being published as part of our province’s ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability,” the news release said.
“Inclusion on this list does not imply that the claims are true or correct or that the accused individual has been found guilty of a crime or liable for civil claims,” it said.
“In many instances, the claims were made several years or decades after the alleged events and were not capable of an investigation and determination.”
Jesuits with credible claims of abuse who served in the Yakima Valley are:
• Arnold R. Beezer, accused of sexual abuse of a minor in the 1970s. Beezer served at St. Joseph Church in Yakima from 1980-87. Beezer has been removed from ministry and lives at a retirement home for clergy in California.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.