Chicago Injury Lawyer Blog
An Elgin, IL, pastor has been found guilty on two counts of battery for beating a teenage girl with a piece of crown molding during weekly ‘counseling’ sessions. Rev. Daryl Bujak, formerly of the First Missionary Baptist Church in Elgin, was sentenced to twelve months of supervision, ordered to perform 80 hours of community service, and handed a $350 fine for his conduct. According to reports, Bujak was approached by the parents of the girl in March 2005 when the girl began making allegations of sexual abuse against her stepfather. Neither Bujak nor the girl’s mother believed those allegations to be true. Thereafter the pastor began a series of weekly meetings with the girl in which he would spank her 15 to 25 times depending on how she had behaved the previous week (as reported to the pastor by the girl’s mother). Bujak was found not guilty of violating a state law that requires clergy members to report allegations of sexual abuse. According to reports, Bujak told the girl that he was a former police officer who had dealt with sexual abuse cases before and that he did not have to report the alleged abuse because ‘nothing had really gone on.’ Bujak claims that the parents of the girl had given him permission to incorporate corporal punishment as part of the counseling.
The counseling sessions ceased around October of 2005 when stepfather Matthew Resh of Ingleside, IL , was charged with sexually abusing the girl. Resh is awaiting trial in McHenry County where he faces five counts of predatory criminal sexual assault. According to church treasurer Robert Steele, Bujak resigned in August of 2008 for reasons reportedly unrelated to the battery.
Sexual abuse victims are often reluctant to come forward, especially when the perpetrator is a family member. If you have been the victim of sexual abuse or assault, you should contact an attorney experienced in handling highly sensitive and emotional matters. Illinois sexual abuse lawyer Joseph G. Klest has been advocating on behalf of sexual abuse victims for the last twenty eight years. Contact the Klest Law Firm today for a free initial consultation.