Deming man accuses priests of sexual abuse
A man is suing the Las Cruces Catholic Diocese, claiming he was sexually abused as a child by two different priests in Deming.
The Deming Headlight reports that the abuse happened between 1994 and 2001 at the Holy Family Catholic Church.
The victim, identified only as “John Doe 85,” accused Revs. Joseph Anderson and David Bentley of abuse on “hundreds of occasions.”
The Headlight reports that Anderson was relieved of duties in 1998, and that public records indicate that Bentley had abused children in Albany, NY, in the 1970s. He was sent to New Mexico for treatment in 1994 after that diocese reached a settlement with the victim.
The Diocese of Las Cruces told the Headlight on Monday that it was not aware of the lawsuit.
