The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Wednes, Nov. 1, 1995

A Roman Catholic priest from Santa Rosa has been arrested in Chicago on a warrant charging him with 17 felony counts of child molestation, police say.

A detective from Sonoma County was accompanied by two Chicago police officers Tuesday as they arrested the Rev. Gary Timmons, said Chicago police Sgt. Daniel Fitzgerald.

Some of the charges against the priest stem from allegations made by two men in California, who said Timmons, 54, had sexually abused them years ago when they were youngsters.

But at least one of the allegations came from a 13-year-old boy who said he was molested more recently by Timmons, according to one source.

Timmons was being held on a bond of $750,000 set in California. An extradition hearing was to be held later Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court.

Timmons also is a defendant in a civil suit filed in San Francisco by 10 men who claim they were sexually abused between 1969 and 1981, when they were juveniles.

The lawsuit filed in May 1994 claimed that the 10 had been molested by Timmons, Monsignor Patrick O'Shea of San Francisco and the Rev. Austin Peter Keegan of San Francisco. In addition to the priests, defendants in the lawsuit included the San Francisco Archdiocese and the Santa Rosa Diocese. The archdiocese is the overseer of eight subordinate dioceses, one of which is Santa Rosa.

In August, the archdiocese agreed to pay $500,000 to two plaintiffs who said they had been molested by O'Shea, former pastor of St. Cecelia's church in the Parkside District.

Sixteen counts of molestation charges against O'Shea stemming from incidents that allegedly occurred from the 1960s to the 1980s were dismissed in July because the six-year statute of limitations had expired. The judge in the case cited appellate court rulings that a 1994 law seeking to extend the statute of limitations was unconstitutional.

That decision was appealed to the California Supreme Court, which refused to review it. A conflicting appellate decision in San Diego, however, is still under appeal so the constitutionality of the law that would retroactively extend limitations is still unclear.

A source said that some of the new allegations may involve Timmons' activities at Camp St. Michael, a Catholic summer camp near Leggett in Mendocino County. But the 13-year-old's allegations were of more recent incidents that would fall within the period of time allowable for bringing criminal charges, the source said.

Attorneys for Timmons have denied he did anything wrong. Keegan has moved to Baja California, where he was relieved of his clerical duties after refusing to return to the United States to face the allegations.

Timmons was relieved of his church duties nearly two years ago and was sent to work and study at the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago. Chicago Archdiocese officials said they were unaware Timmons was in the area until September, when church officials learned he was in Chicago through a media inquiry.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Chicago archdiocese said it had no knowledge of any criminal charges involving Timmons until his arrest Tuesday.

The archdiocese in September contacted the Institute for Spiritual Leadership, which is not affiliated with the archdiocese, and officials at the Diocese of Santa Rosa, "and was told that Father Timmons was not and would not be engaged in ministry while studying in Chicago."

Cardinal Joseph Bernadine also wrote Santa Rosa Bishop Patrick Ziemann "expressing his surprise and concern that the archdiocese had not been notified of Father Timmons' presence in Chicago."

The cardinal also asked what steps were being taken to ensure children were not at risk and told Ziemann that Timmons had "no permission to engage in any kind of ministry within the archdiocese."

Ziemann said Wednesday that his reply to the cardinal was in the hands of the diocesan attorney and has not yet been sent.

He added: "We are saddened by this news and are in touch with Father Timmons' attorney as the situation continues. We ask for prayers for all those affect - Father Timmons, those who have alleged injury and their families, family friends and former parishioners of Father Timmons.

"I repeat my constant invitation for anyone affected by this to contact me if they wish."

Ziemann said earlier that Timmons was at the institute to prepared for a possible future ministry, one specifically not involving children, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

The allegations first came to light in February 1994 when two Santa Rosa men accused Timmons of molesting them while they were teenagers at Camp St. Michael.

Eight other men came forward later, charging Timmons with fondling their genitals during required nude swimming sessions at Camp St. Michael and when Timmons crawled into their sleeping bags at camp-outs.

Some of the alleged molestations also occurred at St. Eugene's rectory in Santa Rosa.

Walnut Creek attorney Michael Meadows, who represents the 10 plaintiffs in the case, expressed satisfaction at news of Timmons' arrest.

"The principal goal of all of the plaintiffs in the civil suit is to bring enough attention to what Timmons did to all these boys at Camp St. Michael to force the reopening of the investigation and filing of charges," Meadows said.

Timmons had worked at churches and schools in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Eureka for 27 years.

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