The Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office will not investigate an allegation of sexual abuse in 1980 against a priest, after the accuser requested no criminal inquiry be done.
The Lucas County accusation against the Rev. Nelson Beaver was revealed during an investigation into an abuse allegation against him in Williams County. A third allegation — this time in Huron County — arose during the initial investigation. Huron County Prosecutor James Sitterly did not return repeated requests for comment since Monday.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo is continuing its own investigation into Father Beaver, whom it placed on administrative leave in October, when an individual alleged they were abused when the priest was at Sacred Heart Parish in Montpelier, Ohio, more than 25 years ago.
Father Beaver served as pastor at Sacred Heart from 1984 to 1994.
The Williams County Prosecutor’s Office and the Montpelier Police Department recently closed a joint investigation into the priest at the request of the initial accuser; a police report indicates that the accuser has maintained throughout the investigation that he does not want to pursue prosecution against the priest. The two additional allegations were made in the course of the agencies’ months-long investigation.
In November, the Williams County Prosecutor’s Office received a letter from a state inmate indicating that he, too, “was a victim of Fr. Beaver in the spring/summer of 1980.” The writer states that his family made several attempts to open an investigation with the Toledo Police Department and Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office at the time, but that “no ‘official’ investigation was brought … for these horrendous acts that Fr. Beaver committed against me.”
Father Beaver served as associate pastor at Most Blessed Sacrament, Toledo, from 1979 to 1981, and St. John the Baptist, Toledo, from 1981 to 1984, according to diocesan records.
Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates said the writer has indicated that he wanted the allegation on record, but does not want to pursue an investigation. The alleged incident is also beyond the statute of limitations, she said.
“Nothing is happening at this point,” she said. “He doesn't want anything done with it, and we try to respect [people’s wishes], especially if it can't be done, anyway.”
In December, according to a Montpelier Police Department report, an individual reported to the Huron County Prosecutor’s Office that his sister had been abused by Father Beaver in the late 1970s.
Father Beaver was ordained in 1976 and served at St. Paul the Apostle in Norwalk, Ohio, from 1976 to 1979, according to diocesan records.
According to the Montpelier police report, the initial accuser was 8 or 9 years old at the time of the abuse. While he does not want to pursue prosecution against the priest, he does want authorities to work with the diocese to have the priest be removed from ministry.
The report documents at least two people who vouched for the priest’s character to Montpelier Police Chief Dan McGee in the course of the investigation. It also references a review of his personnel file, which reportedly included “a large amount of positive feedback from peers” and “NO direct complaints or allegations of misconduct” prior to the allegation in 2018.
The report also notes “peculiar writings” in the priest’s personnel file, such as a letter to Bishop Leonard Blair in 2010 on the topic of “banished priests for sexual misconduct.” Father Beaver wrote that he “would accept them with grace, and noted inviting ‘banished’ priests to live with priests in good standing offers powerful witness to the gospel. ‘It hurts [him] to see priests who have been rightly and justly banned to be treated as lepers.’” according to a police write up on the investigation, which partially quoted the letter.
The Diocese of Toledo’s internal investigation will determine his future in ministry.
“Now that the civil authorities in Williams County have determined they will not pursue the case, the Diocese, according to our policy, will begin a canonical process which includes a thorough investigation,” Kelly Donaghy, a diocesan spokesman, said on Monday. “The findings ... will be presented to an independent Review Board which will then, based on the facts, present a recommendation to the Bishop regarding Father Beaver’s suitability for ministry.”
Father Beaver denied the allegations in an initial statement through the diocese in October. He had been serving as pastor at Resurrection Parish in Lexington, Ohio, since 2005, and St. Mary of the Snows Parish in Mansfield, Ohio, since 2010 when he was placed on administrative leave.
First Published March 29, 2019, 5:46 p.m.
