* Michael Smilanic and Donna Ballentine on the Hewitt Molestations: Bob Enyart interviews Michael Smilanic, one of the nine known and suspected victims of Denver Archdiocese priest Fr. Neil Hewitt, and Donna Ballentine, the cousin of one of the victims, Stuart Saucke, who later committed suicide. Saucke penned a handwritten letter to the Fr. Hewitt saying that after his father's death, Stuart had been a vulnerable kid, and detailing how Hewitt severely molested him after addicting him to alcohol and pornography. Smilanic though is here and strong and shares himself what Hewitt had done to him. (We invite you to hear also Part 2, tomorrow's conclusion to these interviews.)
* KGOV Programs about this Child-Molesting Priest: Just click for these BEL programs right here at KGOV.com about Neil Hewitt, the former Roman Catholic priest:
- 2002: Denver Roman Catholic Priest Neil Hewitt Molests Altar Boy (Stuart Saucke, whose father had just passed away; here's Stuart's tragic hand-written letter)
- 2004: The Victim of Homosexual Catholic Priest Father Neil Hewitt
- 2004: Priest Molestation Case Update 1
- 2004: Priest Molestation Case Update 2 with Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Nat'l Director David Claussey
- 2008: Pedophiles, Priests, & Privacy in which we quote from the sister's letter and Archbishop Chaput's reply.
- 2017: Another Fr. Hewitt Victim, Michael Smilanic, here in studio (today's program)
- 2017: Another Victim, Part 2
- 2019: Denver Priest Molestation Scandal Breaks Wide Open
- 2019 Enyart discusses Hewitt's confession and apology that just aired on 9News
- 2019: BEL's Pope List (related topic; the written show summary is updated through 2019)
* Hewitt Victims and Witnesses List
Leadville Victims of Fr. Neil Hewitt
Stuart Saucke
Jamie H________ (passed away May 2018)
_____ _______ (client of a Colorado atty)
John _______ (pseudonym)
Brian _______ (pseudonym)
Denver Victim of Fr. Neil Hewitt
Michael Smilanic
Other Suspected Leadville Victims
Alex (committed suicide; family member said a Leadville priest molested him)
Jerry (rumored to have committed suicide)
Other Suspected Denver Metro Victims
Tom ________ (Montreal, 1967)
B________ _______
Witnesses (in addition to the nine victims and suspected victims)
Leadville Witnesses
_______ _______ (later a Denver halfway house resident)
Tom _________
John ________
Sam ________ (pseudonym)
Sean ________ (pseudonym)
Randy _______
Karl ________ (pseudonym)
Paul ________
Steve ________
Denver Metro Witnesses
Mark ________
Reservoir Boy #1
Reservoir Boy #2
* The Question the Archdiocese Refuses to Answer: Had there been accusations against Fr. Neil Hewitt before the Denver Archdiocese moved him up into the mountains to Leadville, Colorado?
Donna Ballentine and Bob Enyart met with archdiocese officials to ask a single question. "Had there been accusations against Fr. Neil Hewitt before the Denver Archdiocese moved him up into the mountains in Leadville, Colorado?" If the archdiocese had heard no previous accusations, and if they had no previous knowledge of any child molestation or similar morally compromised behavior with boys, then they would be without guilt for moving him to the Annunciation mountain parish. (At the time when Stuart was hurt, the Annunciation Church directly reported to the Denver Archdiocese and in 1988 it was transferred to the Colorado Springs diocese, which itself is part of Denver's ecclesiastical province.) If, however, Denver Roman Catholic officials did what many other dioceses have done, and knowingly moved a sexual predator to another parish, then they bear great responsibility for the harm done to the families of Leadville (a number of whom we are in contact with). The archdiocese answered Bob and Donna, "We are sorry but we can only discuss these kinds of matters with immediate family members." (Stuart and his mother and father were dead, he had no children, and his younger siblings had moved away from Leadville.) So we flew Stuart's sister, Donna's other cousin Sylvia from her home in Utah to Denver and made another appointment at the Archdiocese. There in person, Sylvia asked, "Had there been accusations against Fr. Neil Hewitt before the Denver Archdiocese moved him up into the mountains in Leadville, Colorado?" The Denver Catholic authorities answered her, "We are sorry but we cannot discuss personnel matters." We intend to post on this page the first names of other victims of Fr. Hewitt and the names of contemporaneous witnesses to some of his harmful behavior toward children. Today's interviewee, Michael from Florida, has announced that he desires justice and is willing to take legal action against the archdiocese. Meanwhile, Sylvia has moved back to Colorado and she has been speaking with her cousin regarding the crimes committed against her brother and the archdiocese refusal to answer the family's one question. To be continued...