Maui deacon charged with molesting boy
Wailuku, Maui —
A well-regarded Catholic deacon credited by parishioners for reviving a small-town church on Maui pleaded not guilty yesterday to 62 charges that he sexually assaulted a boy for three years.
A Maui grand jury indicted James "Ron" Gonsalves, 68, on 30 counts of first-degree sexual assault, a felony punishable by a 20-year prison term; and 32 counts of third-degree sexual assault, which carries a maximum five-year term. He was being held with bail set at $790,000.
Maui police said the incidents allegedly occurred between June 2002 and June 2005, when the youth was ages 12 to 15. Some of the assaults were reported to have occurred at St. Ann Church in Waihe'e, in the Wailuku district.
News of Gonsalves' indictment brought heartbreak and tears to many St. Ann parishioners and cast a pall over tomorrow's celebration of the church's feast day. Church members described their deacon as "big-hearted" and "generous," and said he rescued the struggling parish from the edge of extinction with new programs and fundraising.
"It's a shock. We couldn't believe it," said parishioner Agnes Cockett of the sexual abuse allegations. "We still don't believe it. ... We'll stick by him no matter what."
Read the article at The Honolulu Advertiser Dated July 29, 2005
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A well-regarded Catholic deacon credited by parishioners for reviving a small-town church on Maui pleaded not guilty yesterday to 62 charges that he sexually assaulted a boy for three years.
A Maui grand jury indicted James "Ron" Gonsalves, 68, on 30 counts of first-degree sexual assault, a felony punishable by a 20-year prison term; and 32 counts of third-degree sexual assault, which carries a maximum five-year term. He was being held with bail set at $790,000.
Maui police said the incidents allegedly occurred between June 2002 and June 2005, when the youth was ages 12 to 15. Some of the assaults were reported to have occurred at St. Ann Church in Waihe'e, in the Wailuku district.
News of Gonsalves' indictment brought heartbreak and tears to many St. Ann parishioners and cast a pall over tomorrow's celebration of the church's feast day. Church members described their deacon as "big-hearted" and "generous," and said he rescued the struggling parish from the edge of extinction with new programs and fundraising.
"It's a shock. We couldn't believe it," said parishioner Agnes Cockett of the sexual abuse allegations. "We still don't believe it. ... We'll stick by him no matter what."
Read the article at The Honolulu Advertiser Dated July 29, 2005
posted by God Almighty Himself at 4:12 AM
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