Morning Star Boys Ranch

Morning Star Boys Ranch is a group home for boys located in Spokane, Washington.

Many associate the term "morning star" with Lucifer, although the term has also been used to represent Jesus in the Bible, Phosphorus in Greek mythology, and others.

19 sexual abuse lawsuits were filed against Morning Star Boys Ranch, starting in 2005. Only one went to trial. The litigation lasted seven years and damaged Morning Star's reputation. In 2012, the Seattle Times reported that the number of unresolved claims against Morning Star Boys Ranch was up to more than two dozen, and that these claims were being settled outside of court.

The allegations named Father Joe Weitensteiner, who began his career with Morning Star Boys Ranch in 1960 as a counselor and was promoted to director in 1966 after becoming an ordained priest. These allegations were dismissed, and he was reinstated as a priest by the Diocese. He now works for the Morning Star Foundation, whose major beneficiary is Morning Star Boys Ranch.

The allegations also named defrocked priest and pedophile Patrick O'Donnell, along with several counselors. Instead of handing O'Donnell over to law enforcement, after admitting to molesting "dozens of teenagers boys over three decades", the Catholic church tried to treat his pedophilia. When that failed, he was defrocked but never faced any jail time for his crimes. As of 2008, he was "free to roam" and living in La Conner, Washington.

One particularly disturbing detail of some allegations is that some of the abuse occurred on overnight stays outside of Morning Star Boys Ranch:

• Weitensteiner recalled taking Putnam and another boy named Jeff Benz on an overnight trip on his boat on Lake Coeur d'Alene...

• In 1996, Morning Star failed to properly report a resident’s complaint that he had been fondled by a man during an overnight stay at the man’s home. The boy’s social worker and probation officer did not approve the visit, and Morning Star had not conducted a background check on the man.

Morning Star officials...acknowledged recently that visitors were not required to register their names in ranch log books.

Morning Star Boys Ranch is still currently in operation.

Jim West

In 2005, Spokane's then-mayor Jim West was accused of molesting two boys while West was a Spokane sheriff's deputy and a boy scout leader. The other leader of West's troop, David Hahn, committed suicide in 1981 after being told to reisign or risk facing a criminal investigation.

West was on the board of directors for Morning Star Boys Ranch for 12 years. He resigned in 2005, after the accusations of pedophilia were brought to light. "[David] Hahn's brother-in-law, Dick Walters, said he clearly remembers that Hahn and West checked out boys from Morning Star for recreational outings."

Gonzaga University

While I was working through this information, I began to notice a possible connection to Gonzaga University, located in Spokane. It has its own startling set of child abuse/cover-up allegations:

• In 1961, John Leary, a Catholic priest, became president of Gonzaga University. In 1969, Spokane police discovered that Leary had molested several young boys and at least one Gonzaga student. Instead of arresting/prosecuting him, they gave him a 24-hour window during which he was allowed to leave. He moved to California, where he founded New College of California in San Francisco. Later, he moved back to Spokane, where he died.

• Gary Uhlenkott was a Jesuit priest and a professor of music at Gonzaga University when he was sentenced to six months in jail for downloading and viewing child pornography. "A United States Postal inspector determined that Uhlenkott repeatedly purchased child erotica and child pornography from the company's website. A review of his transactions showed Uhlenkott made 29 separate orders totaling $1,164.40 from the web site between 2008 and 2011. The billing address was Boone Ave. in Spokane and he had provided his Gonzaga email address.".

• One Jesuit priest and teacher at Gonzaga Preparatory School (which is under the same Jesuit authority/umbrella as Gonzaga University), Michael Toulouse, molested multiple boys. The father of one of the boys brought a gun to Gonzaga University, where Toulouse lived, to confront him. However, he was talked down, and Toulouse was never prosecuted. Instead, he was re-located to teach at Seattle University.

• In 2013, Timothy Woodard, a maintenance worker at Gonzaga, was charged with seven felonies, including first-degree rape and first-degree child molestation. Some of the events were said to have taken place on Gonzaga's campus. Woodard committed suicide before he was able to face charges.

The pedophiles involved in the Morning Star Boys Ranch allegations all attended Gonzaga:

• Jim West, former Spokane mayor, graduated from Gonzaga.

• Joe Weitensteiner attended Gonzaga Preparatory School and later took night classes at Gonzaga University.

• Patrick O'Donnell attended both Gonzaga Preparatory School and Gonzaga University.

I also noticed that many high-ranking people involved in law enforcement and politics in Spokane have attended either Gonzaga Preparatory School or Gonzaga University:

• Spokane's current mayor, David Condon, graduated from Gonzaga Preparatory School.

• Spokane's police chief, Craig Meidl, holds a master's degree from Gonzaga.

• All twelve of the Spokane County Superior Court judges attended Gonzaga in some capacity 1 - Annette S. Plese 2 - James M. Triplet 3 - Raymond F. Clary - served as advisory director at Morning Star Boys Ranch from 1994 to 2007 4 - Julie M. McKay 5 - Michael P. Price 6 - Tony Hazel 7 - Maryann C. Moreno 8 - Harold D. Clarke III 9 - John O. Cooney 10 - Michelle "Shelley" D. Szambelan - currently serves on Gonzaga Preparatory School's board of directors 11 - Timothy B. Fennessy - currently serves on Gonzaga Law School's board of directors 12 - Ellen Kalama Clark

To be fair, Gonzaga is local and considered one of the top law schools in the area, so it makes sense for at least some of these people to attend. But all of them? I'm not so sure.

To conclude, there are a number examples of sexual abuse in Spokane, many of which have overlapping connections, such as Morning Star Boys Ranch and Gonzaga Preparatory School/University. Is there something more here, or are these just a series of coincidences?