LAKELAND (FL)
The Ledger
June 6, 2020
By Suzie Schottelkotte
A Sarasota man is suing former Winter Haven priest Fred Ruse on allegations of sexual abuse while the man was incarcerated as a teenager. Ruse has denied the accusations.
Bartow – A Sarasota man is suing a former Winter Haven priest on allegations of sexual abuse while the man was incarcerated as a teenager at Demilly Correctional Institution near Polk City.
In the lawsuit, filed in Polk Circuit Court, the man states that he initially met with the Rev. Fred Ruse, then pastor at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Winter Haven, at the prison to receive communion in 2001 and 2002. They met privately in the chaplain’s office and in classrooms at the prison, the lawsuit states.
Ruse, now 70, began bringing gifts to the teenager, including Harry Potter books, according to the lawsuit.
“As (the teenager) began to place increasing trust in their relationship, Ruse used these opportunity to fondle (the teenager)…,” the lawsuit states. “The sexual contact then progressed to Father Ruse giving oral sex to (the teenager) and receiving oral sex from (him.)”
At the time, Ruse was not chaplain at the prison, which closed in 2012.
“Although these encounters occurred in a secure detention center, Father Ruse was allowed to meet privately with (the teenager) due to his status as a clergyman,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit, filed by Fort Lauderdale lawyer Adam Horowitz, alleges the abuse took place on multiple occasions.
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