US EditionCounty Attorney Offers Perspective on Duluth Church Abuse Case
Deputy County Attorney Jon Holets responds to a report revealing church leaders' failure to report abuse, highlighting challenges in prosecution and ongoing civil suits involving nine victims.
- Last week, ProPublica and the Minnesota Star Tribune published an investigation, and Deputy St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets defended prosecutors’ handling, expressing pride in their work after charging Massie.
- Anonymous tips later prompted the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office to re-open inquiries into Massie, revealing nine identified victims after Old Apostolic Lutheran Church leaders urged silence and forgiveness sessions.
- Court records show investigators identified nine victims, prosecutors admitted all evidence, and Clint Franklin Massie pleaded guilty to four charges involving two girls around 2008; he is serving his sentence at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Faribault with 17 letters of support submitted.
- Given the legal limits, Jon Holets said prosecutors worked with church leadership to improve reporting rather than pursue misdemeanor prosecutions, noting the misdemeanor penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
- Church spokesman John Hiivala said congregations 'we make every effort to follow the law of Christ and the laws of the land,' raising questions about unpaid preachers' mandated-reporter status.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Prosecutor shares perspective on Duluth church abuse case
DULUTH — Leaders of a Duluth church were warned about their obligation to report allegations of child sexual abuse to authorities several years before investigators learned of the full scope of a member’s crimes, according to a new report. But even with the benefit of hindsight, Deputy St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets said he doesn’t believe police and prosecutors could have handled the case against Clint Franklin Massie any differently. “Ch…
Prosecutor shares perspective on Duluth church abuse case
DULUTH — Leaders of a Duluth church were warned about their obligation to report allegations of child sexual abuse to authorities several years before investigators learned of the full scope of a member’s crimes, according to a new report. But even with the benefit of hindsight, Deputy St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets said he doesn’t believe police and prosecutors could have handled the case against Clint Franklin Massie any differently. “Ch…
Prosecutor shares perspective on Duluth church abuse case
DULUTH — Leaders of a Duluth church were warned about their obligation to report allegations of child sexual abuse to authorities several years before investigators learned of the full scope of a member’s crimes, according to a new report. But even with the benefit of hindsight, Deputy St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets said he doesn’t believe police and prosecutors could have handled the case against Clint Franklin Massie any differently. “Ch…
Prosecutor shares perspective on Duluth church abuse case
DULUTH — Leaders of a Duluth church were warned about their obligation to report allegations of child sexual abuse to authorities several years before investigators learned of the full scope of a member’s crimes, according to a new report. But even with the benefit of hindsight, Deputy St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets said he doesn’t believe police and prosecutors could have handled the case against Clint Franklin Massie any differently. “Ch…
Prosecutor shares perspective on Duluth church abuse case
DULUTH — Leaders of a Duluth church were warned about their obligation to report allegations of child sexual abuse to authorities several years before investigators learned of the full scope of a member’s crimes, according to a new report. But even with the benefit of hindsight, Deputy St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets said he doesn’t believe police and prosecutors could have handled the case against Clint Franklin Massie any differently. “Ch…
Prosecutor shares perspective on Duluth church abuse case
DULUTH — Leaders of a Duluth church were warned about their obligation to report allegations of child sexual abuse to authorities several years before investigators learned of the full scope of a member’s crimes, according to a new report. But even with the benefit of hindsight, Deputy St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets said he doesn’t believe police and prosecutors could have handled the case against Clint Franklin Massie any differently. “Ch…
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