In late August, a Philadelphia grand jury unveiled that 1,000 children had been victims of priest abuse over the course of 70 years.
In Indiana, one priest appeared to take the heat.
Fr. Basil Hutsko, 64, claimed he was saying prayers in church when he was attacked from behind by a man who told him “this is for all the kids.”
Hutsko was hospitalized in serious condition, social media exploded with sympathy, and the FBI treated it as a hate crime.
But the story may not be true.
On their website Wednesday, Hutsko’s superiors with the Eparchy of Parma wrote that they “verified with a member” of his “immediate family that the incident…did not occur.”
To read the statement, click here.
The release also shares that Hutsko “has been placed on administrative leave in response to a credible accusation of sexual misconduct involving a minor that allegedly occurred 35 years ago.”
An attorney for the church told Channel 3 News that the allegations first surfaced in in 2004, but that a review at the time did not find them to be credible.
New information within the past two weeks changed that.
Fr. Hutsko would have been serving in Dayton at the time, though the attorney could not confirm whether the alleged attack took place there.
Sources say Hutsko has since been released from the hospital and is still receiving medical care. He has not been charged and denies the allegations of misconduct.
He had previously served at St. Mary’s in Cleveland, St. Barbara’s in Dayton, St. Basil’s in Sterling Hts., MI, St. Mary’s in Marblehead, OH, and St. Michael’s in Merrillville, IN.
Those with information or seeking help can reach out to the church’s Victim Assistance Coordinator, Dr. Sharon Petrus, at (330) 958-9630.
A spokesperson for the Indianapolis FBI released the following statement Wednesday:
“After the FBI received information in August regarding Rev. Hutsko’s alleged attack, an assessment was started to determine if a hate crime occurred. As part of that process, we have received information from a variety of sources and this is information we would also use in our assessment.”
The Parma eparchy also revealed recently they placed Fr. Stephen Muth on administrative leave, citing a recent credible accusation of sexual misconduct involving a vulnerable adult.