Lawyer: Buffalo priest aimed gun at boy’s head while molesting him
The sexual abuses are alleged to have happened after
Freeman was serving as associate pastor at St. Mary parish in
That startling new allegation was made by the now-49-year-old man in a compensation claim submitted to a
The man also said in his claim that Freeman provided absolution of the boy's sins immediately following the acts of abuse, according to
"This was the pattern that began, that Freeman would have this child perform oral sex on him and then absolve him of the sin afterwards," said Boyd.
The priest began having sexual contact with the boy when the boy was about 14, according to Boyd.
Boyd submitted the claim for the man, who declined to be interviewed by The News but authorized Boyd to speak on his behalf. The man lives outside of
The man also said that Freeman, a former
"And if the child would not participate willingly in Freeman's sexual abuse, Freeman would jokingly threaten him with the revolver," said Boyd. "He always carried it concealed. And several times, Freeman put the gun to the boy's head."
In addition, the man accused Freeman of paying a male prostitute in
"Freeman would take the child to
The abuse began in 1984 or 1985 and continued through the victim's high school years, said Boyd.
Report: Diocese knew of history
The
The report said Freeman admitted to committing sexual misconduct with minors at St. Margaret and
"The Grand Jury found no documentation in Freeman's file that indicated that the Dioceses of
The News sought additional information about the allegations against Freeman from the
"At some point, when it is returned to us, time frame unknown, we will be able to respond to your questions," said Spangler.
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An early accuser
One of Freeman's accusers,
Barr said in an interview with The News that Freeman molested him in 1980 in the rectory of
"They knew, and they just turned a blind eye. What kills me is he abused people after I reported it. I think that bothers me more than anything," said Barr, an attorney in
Barr also filed a claim this year for compensation from the diocese.
Barr said his abuse happened after the priest invited him to the rectory to talk about staying involved in the parish's youth ministry program. The invitation seemed innocuous enough: Barr, who was 16 at the time, took his Catholic faith seriously and was flattered by the priest's interest in him.
"The first thing he did was hand me a beer," said Barr. "I didn't even like beer, but I said to myself, 'This is cool, I'm drinking beer with a priest.' "
But at the meeting, Barr said, the priest told him he needed to be checked for a sports injury that could be serious if not detected early. "He said, 'You want me to check you out, make sure you're all right?' " recalled Barr, who was a high school wrestler. "He seemed to be stressing it was something that athletes got. So he was flattering me, saying, 'You must be an athlete.' "
Barr said he trusted the priest. But then Freeman fondled him, he said. "It wasn't an examination touch," said Barr.
Barr said he reported the molestation to the
"I don't know if it was a nun or a social worker. I told her the story, just as I'm telling you," he said. "She more or less thanked me for coming in. And that was it. There was no follow up or anything."
Barr said he's gone to counseling for years to work through the emotional impact of the abuse.
Grand jury report
A summary of Freeman's sexual misconduct was included in the
The report stated that Freeman was assigned to
A spokesman for the
Trautman, who retired in 2012 and is now bishop emeritus of
"I think it's a mistake. He was never a priest of the
View note
Trautman on Freeman allegations
Trautman was a high-ranking administrator in the
But Trautman, 82, said in a telephone interview that he didn't recall the accusations against Freeman or how the priest's case was handled in
"The general practice was if the priest has proven sins against him, he's taken out of ministry," he said.
Trautman was heavily criticized in the grand jury report for his handling of sex abuse complaints in the
But Trautman said he removed many priests from ministry and years ago handed over diocesan files on abusive priests to the
"Not everything in that grand jury report is accurate," he said. "I think there are many instances where the report is not factual."
The grand jury report stated that Freeman's faculties as a priest were revoked in 1989 and that the diocese continued to provide financial aid to Freeman until
Freeman went on to work for the
He died in 2010, at age 63, in
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