×

Humboldt priest suspended for alleged touching

Review board will meet Dec. 6

HUMBOLDT — An area priest has been suspended after the Diocese of Sioux City was made aware of an allegation that he touched a child’s leg in a confessional.

The diocese said in a press release that it became aware of the allegations against the Rev. Brian Danner after the child’s parents reported it. The diocese reported that he is still not functioning as a priest.

According to the diocese, Danner is alleged to have touched the leg of a fourth-grade girl while she was in the confessional.

The diocese said the child was a student at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt.

“After taking the report, diocesan legal counsel contacted the Humboldt County attorney both by phone and with two letters,” the Diocese of Sioux City said in a press release.

A copy of one of those letters, dated Dec. 11, 2017, was provided by the diocese.

In the letter from Michael Ellwanger, the attorney for the Diocese of Sioux City, he wrote the diocese “received a complaint that a priest touched a fourth-grade child on the leg or knee during confession.”

“We are looking into this,” Ellwanger wrote in the letter. “However, the new rules under which we operate require us to notify civil authorities if we receive such a complaint.”

In the statement from the diocese, church officials said “there is a zero tolerance policy for any clergy, staff, or volunteers who work in any capacity at the diocese. Any allegation is handled immediately.”

The diocese stated that, after the allegations came to light, Bishop R. Walter Nickless went to St. Mary’s to speak to the congregation about what had happened and to report that Danner had been removed.

There will be a meeting of the diocesan review board on Dec. 6 to further discuss this incident, according to the letter.

“Our Review Board will be working on the list of credibly accused priests at the December meeting, and there will be further information gained from that meeting that the diocese set with the Attorney General of Iowa on December 6,” the diocese press release stated.

It also added that the “Diocese of Sioux City partners with an independent and professional local care provider to offer confidential, compassionate assistance for both minors and adults who were victims in their childhood by a member of the clergy.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today