Suit accuses Presbyterian minister of child sex abuse

MIAMI — A Presbyterian youth minister who has been teaching local children with learning disabilities is accused in a Chicago lawsuit of repeatedly sexually abusing four minor boys throughout the 1990s.

The suit filed Tuesday, May 14, claims that the Rev. Douglas R. Mason took advantage of his position as the director of a youth ministry in Chicago. From 1990 to 1999 Mason had sex with the boys while taking explicit photographs and filming them, court documents said. Mason also is accused in the lawsuit of providing alcohol and cigarettes to the minors.

The lawsuit said the abuse took place in the basement, the minister's office, a Youth Ministry van, movie theaters as well as during field trips. In addition to Mason, the Presbytery of Chicago, the Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation and the Catholic Bishop of Chicago are defendants. The unidentified boys, who are now about 18, are asking for "fair and just compensation."

This is not the first time Mason has faced problems relating to claims of abuse.

Chicago police investigated Mason in May 1999 for unspecified abuse allegations after the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services received a call on its hotline. A spokesman for the Illinois agency said Wednesday their case was determined to be "indicated." To the agency, this means enough evidence was found to justify the claims.

The police opened its own investigation, but an arrest warrant was never issued before Mason left Chicago, Sgt. Robert Cargie said.

"I have nothing to hide," said Mason in Miami on Wednesday, adding that he is scared, numb and "doesn't have a dime. I knew about (the lawsuit) before, but I didn't know if it was just a threat."

Reluctant to comment on the specifics of the suit, Mason referred questions to his attorney Jerry Latherow in Chicago. Neither Latherow nor the Chicago Archdiocese could be reached for comment. Jerry Reynolds, the executive director of the Presbytery of Chicago, has not reviewed the lawsuit and had no comment.

Before coming to Miami about two years ago, Mason was the director of the San Marcos Youth Ministry, which reaches out to bring underprivileged youth into the fold. Mason provided "help, spiritual guidance and counseling, specifically to parishioners under the age of 18," documents said. He also provided the four boys scholarships to the local Catholic school, awarded by the Youth Ministry.

"He would routinely go in and take them out of the school sometimes for the entire day," said the boys' attorney Devon Bruce, adding that none of the parents was told Mason took their children out of school.

Both the Chicago Archdiocese and the Presbytery of Chicago were alerted in 1999 after a teacher received a tape one of the boys made for Mason in which the boy talked about sex, Bruce said. The Chicago bishop was named in the lawsuit because the Archdiocese oversees the school.

The tape launched a separate investigation into Mason, who about that time moved to an Indian reservation in South Dakota.

Eventually, Mason made his way to South Florida, where he found work as the interim associate pastor at the Miami Shores Presbyterian Church for more than a year beginning in March 2000.

While working at Miami Shores, the Presbytery of Chicago contacted church officials about their investigation into Mason, said spokeswoman Melissa Gracey. Mason did not share the nature of the claims but openly told the senior minister and congregates they had no merit, she said.

"He didn't want to leave us, and we didn't want him to leave, but the Chicago Presbytery required that he not be in a ministerial position," Gracey said, adding that, until formal findings to the contrary, Mason still has their support.

Mason left the church about June 2001. According to standard procedure at Children & Family Services, by that time Mason's name should have been entered into a database available for background checks. It is unclear whether Mason's name is on the Children's Abuse and Neglect Tracking System.

Chicago police said they still are interested in talking to Mason, though they have no plans to travel to Florida to find him.

Mason was hired to work at the Academy of the Arts at Hope, a Miami Christian performing arts school, through the end of 2001.

When the school closed, the director of the South Florida International Academy hired Mason to teach a class of 13- to 17-year-old students who have learning disabilities including dyslexia and attention deficit disorder.

Director Lise Holash called Mason "a good man, compassionate, knowledgeable and the students love him." She added in accordance with school policy Mason was never left alone with any students and "therefore we know for a fact nothing happened here."

But, shortly after Wednesday'’s interview, Holash fired Mason for what she said were problems unrelated to the lawsuit.

She said Mason was warned about his inability to discipline students and about not signing in every morning.

"Frankly, I think this thing is being extremely overblown and everyone is trying to ride on the scandal of the Catholic Church's coattail," Holash said. ------------------------------------------

Oh, no, I agree the public schools are in many cases a cesspool.

Statistically, they make the whole "Catholic abuse scandal" look like a tempest in a teapot. That's all I was saying.

Christian schools, whether Catholic or Presbyterian, should certainly do their best to screen out and prosecute these monsters -- because any act of child sexual abuse is a tragedy and a scandal. But when child sexual abuse in the Publik Skools are that bad by comparison, estimates of something like 100 times the abuse rate in the allegedly "troubled" Catholic schools -- then I kinda wonder, should we really focus on bashing eachother's denominational schools? Seems to me there's a much larger elephant in the room, yknow?

It's just that Religious Schools make for more titillating headlines, whereas the Public Schools are basically given a "pass" by the Mainstream Media, and treated as if the institution of public schooling is as fundamentally and unquestionably American as baseball and apple pie.

Sorry I flew off the handle about it.

Statistically, they make the whole "Catholic abuse scandal" look like a tempest in a teapot. That's all I was saying.

The difference, however, is that in the RCC the crime is hidden and secrecy is invoked upon the victim under threat of excommunication for 10 years beyond the date of the victim's 18th birthday.

Whereas in public schools, any sexual offender is generally arrested, convicted and sent to jail. Unless some parents get to him first.

And this difference is enormous because the secrecy mandated by the RCC results in valid accusations of complicity and obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting criminals.

The difference, however, is that in the RCC the crime is hidden and secrecy is invoked upon the victim under threat of excommunication for 10 years beyond the date of the victim's 18th birthday.

I'd honestly never heard anything like that. Troubling. Dr.E, do you happen to have a source citation from which I could read further?

I'm unlikely to change my opinion of the Public Schools as Public Enemy #1, but I would like to read some background on what you've discussed. If'n you have the time.

Sure. Read the three links in post 28 found here...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2491835/posts?page=28#28

Evidence like this is why Ratzinger was accused of obstruction of justice and only escaped punishment by claiming diplomatic immunity.

He may not be so fortunate this time around considering the evidence against him in the recent German priest sex scandal.

Reading an old item from a few years ago about Doug Mason.

Mason left Chicago for Miami - but the church did not have the information about the police investigation at the time and that is why he was allowed to move from one church to another. Tropical Florida Presbytery in Miami did a background check, including a routine check with the presbytery he was moving from - Chicago Presbytery. He passed. At the time, the investigation was in the police department and there was no public information available that Chicago Presbytery knew about.

A few months later, when Chicago Presbytery learned of the accusations, they immediately informed my presbytery in Miami. We confirmed with the Chicago police that there were charges pending and it fell on me as one of the members of the Committee on Ministry to inform the elders of the church he was serving as an Interim Associate Pastor that Mason was prohibited from practicing ministry until the case was resolved.

Because Mason was in a temporary position, he was still a member of Chicago Presbytery and as such, they had jurisdiction over Mason. The presbytery in Miami, however, had jurisdiction over the Miami Shores Church. This meant action was taken by both presbyteries.

The presbytery in Miami immediately removed Mason from his position at Miami Shores. Presbytery of Chicago revoked permission for Mason to practice ministry anywhere until the case (in the civil courts and now in the church courts) was resolved.

Here is the part I don’t understand - We were under the impression that the Chicago police were arresting him and he was being sent to Chicago to stand trial, but the police took no such action and Mason remained in Miami. After losing his ability to practice ministry, he worked at two schools in Miami.

Sadly, the case was never resolved. Mason died in 2004 at the age of 46 in Miami. The case was never brought to trial in Chicago.

Why was Mason allowed to molest children for 9 years?

As is often the case, until there are complaints, nothing will be known by the authorities and nothing will be done.

At some point in May 1999, the police in Chicago conducted an investigation and determined there was sufficient evidence for a trial.

At that time, Mason resigned his job in the Presbytery of Chicago and moved to Miami. He got a job as an Interim Associate Pastor in Miami Shores Presbyterian Church - “Interim” means it was a temporary position. Being temporary, he did not transfer his membership from Chicago Presbytery to Tropical Florida Presbytery, but was given permission to “serve outside the bounds” of the home presbytery of Chicago.

There were background checks, including a conversation between the two presbyteries, but no one had the information that the Chicago Police had.

At some point, Chicago Presbytery learned of the investigation and they immediately contacted Tropical Florida Presbytery in Miami.

Because Mason was a member of Chicago Presbytery, they had jurisdiction over him. They immediately prohibited him from practicing ministry anywhere “until the case was resolved.” Tropical Florida Presbytery had jurisdiction of the church where Mason was working, and it fell on me to inform the elders of that church and Mason that he would no longer be allowed to serve at Miami Shores or any other church in our presbytery.

I was led to believe by the Chicago Police that they were arranging for Mason’s arrest and transportation to Chicago. I didn’t know for years that this did not happen. Mason continued to live in Miami and worked in two schools.

Chicago Presbytery, I later learned, continued its judicial action within Church Discipline and Mason lost his ordination - or at least that is my understanding.

Here is the part I don’t understand - why didn’t he stand trial in Chicago?

Sadly, the case was never resolved. Mason died in 2004 at the age of 46 in Miami. The case was never brought to trial.

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