2) It looks like the secular authorities dropped the ball, in addition to any malfeasance on the part of PCUSA. That's a familiar theme ...
No further news. Evidently it has been swept under the rug by the PCUSA authorities. I call for more openness, more discussion. Did this minister go to prison? If not, why not?
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.