Church sex abuse alleged in Noble County

Marietta, Ohio --

The Noble County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation into whether a Marietta man was sexually molested by two Roman Catholic clergymen in Harriettsville 38 years ago.

The investigation began after the victim came forward to the sheriff’s office with a statement on June 26 about the alleged abuse, claiming he was molested in the summer of 1967 at the St. Henry’s Catholic Church parish house when he was 9 years old.

According to the voluntary statement, the incident alleged was first reported to the Steubenville Diocese in February 2004. A spokesman for the diocese said that the diocese acted on the report by sending a letter dated March 15, 2004, to the Noble County Prosecutor’s Office.

However, past and current officials with the Noble County prosecutor’s office say they never received anything on the subject.

Noble County Sheriff Landon Smith said he knew nothing about the alleged abuse prior to the Marietta man making his statement in late June.

Read the article at The Marietta Times Dated July 9, 2005

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