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  Catholic Brother Faces Sex Charges

The Chronicle-Telegram
March 5, 1986

CLEVELAND (AP) – A teacher at St. Joseph High School in Cleveland is under

indictment by a Cuyahoga County grand jury on 11 counts of sexual battery and five counts of

gross sexual imposition.

An official of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese said Tuesday night the charges are believed to

stem from allegations made by four pupils at the boys school who claim to have had encounters

with Brother Paul Botty. The incidents are alleged to have occurred between May 1983 and the fall of 1985.

Botty, 36, who teaches senior and junior English at the 850-pupil parochial school, was suspended

last Jan. 27 after the complaints came to light, said Sister Christine Vladimiroff, secretary of education for the diocese.

Botty, a Marianist, has been a member of the school's faculty for six years.

The Rev. Kenneth Templin, local Marianist superior, said Tuesday night that as spokesman

for Botty he has no comment on either the charges nor on how Botty intends to plead. Templin also said he

could not comment on any detail of the allegations.

Sister Christine said the diocese turned what information it had on the allegations over to

Cuyahoga County authorities. She said the incidents apparently occurred outside the school.

She said she could provide no further details.

She and other members of the diocese have met with the four students involved in the allegations

and the families of those students, she said.

"At the same time, we are concerned for Brother Paul. We have compassion for him," she

said, adding that the diocese is "withholding judgment in this matter as the charges are still

alleged at this time."

 
 

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