Disgraced priest faces new abuse accusations; Hanna Boys Center responds

Sonoma Valley Sun
April 21, 2019

https://bit.ly/2VnTtEh

New revelations of decades-old abuse were announced April 11 in Sonoma.

Current Hanna Boys Center CEO Brian Farragher has addressed but not disputed the charges of molestation made against the facility’s former executive director, details of which were dramatically revealed in an outdoor press conference Wednesday at Sonoma’s St. Francis Solano Catholic Church.

Father John Crews, the executive director until 2013, is newly accused of abusing two residents — one young man who lived at Hanna 1984-85 and another 1999-2001. Crews resigned in 2013 after being accused of sexually abusing a boy in the 1970s.

Sacramento attorney Joseph George said he has filed formal complaints with the state Attorney General’s Office. He was joined at the press conference by representatives of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

In a letter made public by his attorney, one of the alleged victims, David Ortega, called for “anyone else who has been a victim to step forward, let your voice be heard and understand that it is not and was not ever a fault of your own.”

Farragher said he had no advance knowledge of Wednesday’s event.

“Trauma and adversity are the story of our kids’ lives,” Farragher said in a written statement. “This is why it is so painful to think that any young person may have been hurt in our care. We look forward with a continued commitment to our boys – to their safety and to helping them change their lives.”

While not mentioning Crews specifically, he reiterated the center has made “dramatic but necessary changes in our policies… and to exponentially increase the safety of the boys entrusted to our care.

Crews, inactive in the ministry since 2103, now lives in North Carolina.

Farragher’s full letter:

“You may be aware that the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) held a news conference Wednesday in front of St. Francis Solano Catholic Church. At the press conference, it was announced that two former residents of Hanna Boys Center have alleged they were molested by Hanna’s former Executive Director, Father John Crews.

“An attorney from Sacramento representing the two former Hanna boys, as well as the former director of SNAP, reported that the two filed reports with the California Attorney General’s Office. These alleged offenses were to have occurred in 1984-85 and 1999-2001.

“Though we are saddened and appalled by the seriousness of these allegations, I would like to be very clear about two things: 1. Hanna Boys Center had no prior knowledge of yesterday’s press conference. 2. Our practice, as is the law, is that any allegations of abuse are reported to law enforcement and our licensing body and we will cooperate with law enforcement and other authorities in any and all investigations.

“Given the uneasiness that accompanied the news conference, I would like to take this opportunity to restate that there have been dramatic but necessary changes in our policies and procedures that have been implemented over the past 18 months of my tenure to exponentially increase the safety of the boys entrusted to our care.

“These changes include more rigorous background checks for new hires, GPS tracking devices installed on all of Hanna vehicles, increased staff-to-boy ratios in the cottages and group homes, windows and mirrors in offices, increased training for both staff and boys to be aware of unsafe boundaries, and many others. Hanna’s policies and procedures have been accepted as well as commended by our state licensing authority for meeting and exceeding the requirements.

“Moreover, in the past few months, Hanna has been asked to host instructional webinars for our peer organizations across the state to assist in their implementation of trauma-informed treatment programs. We are doing important work at Hanna – every boy we serve has experienced a traumatic adverse event – and 70% have experienced three or more.

“Trauma and adversity are the story of our kids’ lives — it is what brings them to our Center in the first place and can keep them stuck in their past unless we intentionally provide them with a different reality and create the conditions for change. This is why it is so painful to think that any young person may have been hurt in our care. We look forward with a continued commitment to our boys – to their safety and to helping them change their lives.

“On May 31, we will graduate 24 young men from Archbishop Hanna High School. These young men, like all Hanna boys before them, are exemplars of courage. Young men experiencing trauma choose to come to Hanna and do the hard work it takes to heal and grow in order to leave our care with the promise of a new hope and new life. Your support is critical to our success in continuing to provide this opportunity to young men in need.”