Madison officials say they've found credible evidence that a city employee molested a child. They plan to look into it more and may fire the employee. But the city says the victim doesn't want to make a fuss, so that's that.
Relax. This isn't really happening.
But substitute a few words and it describes the situation surrounding the Rev. Joseph Gibbs Clauder.
On Aug. 11, the Madison diocese issued a press release (PDF) saying a "credible" allegation of child sex abuse had been made against the longtime Madison-area practitioner. The diocese has referred the matter to the Vatican, which could defrock Clauder or ask him to pray about it.
Um, what about the cops? Isn't child molestation a crime?
William Yallaly, executive assistant to Madison Bishop Robert Morlino, tells Isthmus the minor, now an adult, was molested sometime after Clauder was sidelined in 1999 for sexual misconduct involving an adult.
"We've told them [the victim] that we would be completely supportive...if they wanted to go forward with any sort of police reporting," says Yallaly, "but they do not want to do that at this time."
Yallaly won't say whether the victim is male or female, where the abuse occurred, or whether Madison cops have sought more information, although "we would do everything we could do to cooperate." Madison police officials, including Chief Noble Wray, Assistant Chief Randy Gaber and Capt. Vic Wahl, dodged requests to say whether an investigation has been or will be opened.
