Recently, we named some of the accused child molesting Catholic clerics who are or were in Prince George's County in Maryland. Why single out that jurisdiction? Because the Maryland attorney general's office is now investigating clergy sex crimes and cover-ups in that portion of the state, which technically belongs to the Archdiocese of Washington. However, the current investigation also includes St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles, and Montgomery, Maryland counties. And we at Horowitz Law always want to do anything we can to help police and prosecutors investigate, charge, convict, and imprison sex offenders. We also gently prod our clients who were sexually assaulted to always at least consider disclosing their experiences to law enforcement at any level, regardless of whether there's a pending investigation in that town, city, state, or jurisdiction.
So, in that vein, let's look at more allegedly predatory Catholic employees - past and present - who spent time in these four counties in which the AG is currently pursuing investigations. Some of them are:
- Br. Philip M. Spoelker: (a.k.a. Brother Jude) Joined the Xaverian religious order and was publicly named as a 'credibly accused' abuser by them in 2019. He reportedly molested a child in 1982 in Leonardtown, Maryland (St. Mary's County), was sent to a church-run 'treatment' center, and then put back in ministry. Currently, he's on the Missouri State Sex Offender Registry.
- Fr. William Wehrle: a Jesuit who faced "multiple allegations" of abuse and spent time in Maryland (Mechanicsville, Hilltop, McConchie, Woodstock, Baltimore, and North Bethesda), Nebraska (Omaha), Colorado (Denver, Aurora, and Englewood), Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) and Washington, DC. (Mechanicsville is in St. Mary's County.)
- Fr. Peter M. McCutcheon: lived in Lusby, Maryland (Calvert County), was accused, and then sent to treatment in New Mexico. He was convicted of abuse, did jail time, was defrocked, and is now on the 'credibly accused' abusers list in the Baltimore Archdiocese. Fr. McCutcheon worked in at least two Maryland towns: Chillum and Waldorf (Charles County).
- Fr. Paul Twiddy: lived in Charlotte Hall County, Maryland, and is now on the Washington DC Archdiocese's 'credibly accused' abusers list. While in the DC Archdiocese, he was accused, removed, and sent for evaluation and treatment but returned to ministry. Later, he worked in the Monterey California diocese, where again, he was accused of abuse, sent to treatment but later returned to ministry.
- Fr. Edward Hartel worked in La Plata (Charles County) and Garrett Park (Montgomery County) and lived in Chevy Chase (Montgomery County). He is on the Washington DC Archdiocese's 'credibly accused' abusers list and was once arrested and allegedly admitted the abuse. There has been at least one abuse lawsuit against him, which was settled. Fr. Hartel also spent time in several other Maryland cities, including Hyattsville, Silver Spring, Laurel, and Rockville.
- Fr. Richard Hermann: a native of Bryantown (Charles County) who is named publicly as a 'credibly accused' of 'multiple' abuse reports by two Wisconsin dioceses: La Cross and Superior.
- Deacon Lawrence Bell: accused in a 2023 lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy in the 1990s at St. Martin of Tours in Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County).
- Msgr. Michael J. Mellone: accused in a 2023 lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy at the same parish.
Both men were temporarily suspended from ministry but were returned to ministry when DC church officials declared that there was no evidence that the alleged abuse occurred.
Nothing protects kids more than prosecuting predators. So please, while the Maryland attorney general's probe into clergy abuse is still moving forward, let anyone you know who lives or lived in Maryland or the District of Columbia understand about these publicly accused child molesting clerics. You can find all of the credibly accused Maryland abusive clerics on our site.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by religious authority figures and other clergy. If you need a lawyer because a member of a religious organization sexually abused you, contact us today at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse nationwide. We can help.