camel lips Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 (edited) http://www.wfmz.com/news/lehigh-valley/priest-named-in-grand-jury-report-worked-for-youth-education-in-the-arts/786985147 LLENTOWN, Pa. - The Chairman of Youth Education in the Arts (YEA!) confirms that one of the 300 priests named in the Pennsylvania Attorney General's grand jury report was a drum corps instructor for Cadets 2, a weekend-only touring branch of YEA!'s drum corps. The board suspended Father Donald Cramer, who was a priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg, from all YEA! activities within 90 minutes, according to a letter from Chairman Doug Rutherford. In a letter to the Corps, Rutherford said, "After verifying that Mr. Cramer was, in fact, the same person identified in the report, the board suspended him from all YEA! activities, all within 90 minutes. After reviewing the situation with the Board of Directors, staff and YEA! attorneys, we terminated Mr. Cramer’s contract on the third business day after the story broke without an investigation, as the grand jury report provided sufficient cause." Cramer was in an online chatroom and communicated with an individual in Connecticut who was charged criminally for possessing child pornography, according to the grand jury report. In Cramer's online communications, he mentioned he wanted to go to Mexico where he could "rent" boys. The grand jury report says after an investigation, Cramer was not arrested because he was not in possession of child pornography. However, the Department of Homeland Security's investigative report listed the nature of the email communication where Cramer expressed interest in minor boys. According to the grand jury report, the Department of Homeland Security eventually terminated its investigation and closed its file. The Diocesan files for Cramer contained a letter that Cramer wrote to Pope Francis in September 2013 where Cramer requested dispensation from the priesthood. He was officially dispensed in November 2014, according to the report. Rutherford says there is no record of any sexual misconduct involving Mr. Cramer during his employment with YEA! or specifically with The Cadets 2 Drum and Bugle Corps. He says all required background checks of YEA! staff with both the state and the FBI were completed within the year and did not reveal any criminal history for him. Rutherford said in the letter YEA!'s mission is to support the development of young people while ensuring an environment that is "safe, creative and empowering" for everyone involved. It has been a tumultious year for YEA!. In April, nearly a dozen women accused then-Cadets director and CEO George Hopkins with sexual misconduct. Hopkins resigned, followed by the entire board of directors. A new board led by Rutherford hired the law firm of Franczek Radelet to investigate the organization. Edited August 27, 2018 by camel lips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 YEA did everything by the book 100%. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 I had to do some reading, if I understand the term dispensation in this context, it seems like the equivalent of a Catholic clerical resignation. Am happy YEA dealt with this professionally and swiftly. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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