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Marshmallow, read this man's account and then tell me you disagree with his assessment:
``I was so upset that Chris had not listened to me, and I was talking to Father Mulica about it because we considered him a friend. We played bridge with him at our house and at the rectory,'' Suzan Kodger said. ``Father Mulica suggested Chris could help with yardwork at the rectory and they could talk.
``So, when he called late one afternoon and said, `It's a really nice day, we can do some yardwork, swim and talk and I'll bring him home around 9 (p.m.),' I didn't think anything of it.... Now, I bear a lot of guilt.''
Suzan and Donald Kodger said their son went to the rectory about 4:30 p.m. When Donald Kodger picked his son up about 9 p.m., he learned what had happened.
Christopher Kodger, who was still recovering from his knee injury, said he and Mulica went to a convenience store, where Mulica bought beer. After returning to the rectory, the two went swimming in the pool there.
``After we finished swimming, we were sitting in the kitchen and he brings out a case of beer. We started drinking and he gets me pretty drunk. He reaches over and pulls my shorts down'' and began sodomizing the teen with his hand, Christopher Kodger said.
He said when he realized what was happening, he ran.
``He chases me into the back of the house and tackles me down to the ground. I don't know how, but I got away. I ran back into the kitchen, grabbed the keys to his car off the counter and jumped in his car and locked the door.
``He's pounding... pound, pound, pound,'' said Christopher Kodger, motioning with his fist. ``He's saying, `Unlock the door.' He's like a monster. I opened the garage door with the automatic opener and backed out of the garage. And I don't even know how to drive. I made it around the corner and parked in the church parking lot across the street. I figured my dad would be coming soon.''
Meanwhile, Donald Kodger got a phone call from Mulica, saying Chris had taken his car. Kodger asked why. Mulica said he didn't know. Kodger asked if he had called the police. Mulica said no. Kodger said he would be right over and went directly to the rectory.
``As Father Mulica opened the front door for me, Chris was coming in the side door -- apparently, he had seen my car pull into the driveway. I asked what was going on and Father Mulica said, `Don't worry about it. Chris is back. Let's just forget about it,' '' Donald Kodger said. ``I really didn't know what to think. I noticed that the house was in disarray and that Father Mulica's shirt was on inside out and his collar was skewed.
``When we got into the car, I turned to Chris and said `What really happened in there?' ''
He reluctantly told his father what happened.
When they got home, his mother was informed, and the Kodgers began trying to figure out what to do. They knew if they called the police, the church would be involved in a scandal. They called Donald Kodger's parents for advice. Call the bishop, they said.
``I called the bishop and was told he was asleep and couldn't be disturbed. I explained what had happened and said `either I can talk to the bishop or I can call the police,' '' Donald Kodger said.
Kodger contends that Pilla asked ``what do I have to do to keep you quiet until morning?'' The Kodgers asked Pilla to find Mulica.
``We didn't know what he was capable of doing. We didn't know if he would come to our house or what. Chris was hysterical,'' Suzan Kodger said.
The Kodgers said Pilla called them about 2 or 3 a.m., saying that they had found Mulica in a bar and that he had admitted attacking their son. Pilla immediately removed Mulica from his post at the parish and sent him to treatment.
Authorities notified
In subsequent weeks, the Kodgers talked with the Lake County prosecutor, who said that Mulica would likely spend no time in jail and that Chris would have to tell his story in open court. The Kodgers didn't want to risk more damage to their son, knowing Mulica would likely get a slap on the wrist.
Instead of prosecuting, they entered into a settlement agreement with the diocese. The agreement included a monetary settlement of $43,500 and an assurance that Mulica would not be reassigned to a position with access to children.
``Looking back, I wish we would have prosecuted or gone to the police. At least Chris would have seen someone fighting for him,'' Donald Kodger said.
Less than five months after Chris was assaulted, the Kodgers said, Mulica was reassigned to the Chapel of the Divine Word. They said they received a letter, addressed to parishioners, inviting them to a welcome back party for Mulica. After they told Pilla that if Mulica returned, they would meet him at the county line with the sheriff, Mulica did not return, they said.
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