More trouble in paradise Texas.
Former TX state judge and lawmaker Paul Pressler stands accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy.
What’s worse (as if that’s not bad enough), the Harris County lawsuit alleges the abuse continued for several decades.
Pressler, who served as a justice on the 14th Court of Appeals and in the Texas state house from 1957–59, allegedly met Duane Rollins at his church and tutored him in Bible study several times a month. The suit claims the abuse began in the late ’70s and did not slow down until Rollins went off to college in 1983.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Pressler has “generally and categorically [denied] each and every allegation” in court.
According to Rollins’ suit, Pressler took him aside as a young teen and told him he was “special,” and that God approved of their secret sexual contact, which included Pressler penetrating Rollins regularly.
Pressler rose to prominence as a religious right figure, spouting Christian “family values” and opposing liberals and moderates at any and every opportunity.
His wife wife Nancy, his former law partner Jared Woodfill, Woodfill Law Firm, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and First Baptist Church of Houston are also named as defendants in the suit, which seeks damages of over $1 million.
George H.W. Bush picked Pressler to head the Office of Government Ethics in 1989, but he never made it into the position due to an FBI background investigation.
Rollins has had substance abuse issues for much of his adult life and served 10 years in prison on burglary charges.
While Presler’s attorney is attempting to use Rollins’ troubled past to discredit his story, Rollins maintains it was the years of abuse that left him with emotional wounds he wasn’t equipped to deal with.
There’s also the matter of a 2004 battery charge filed by Rollins against Pressler over an incident in a Dallas Hotel room. They settled, though the details are not public.
Pressler’s lawyer called Rollins’ history of abuse the “worst kept secret in Houston.”
“He’s been very blatant and very careless over the years running after young boys and picking them up from these various church youth Bible study groups,” he added.
We will certainly follow this story as it develops.
Juanjo
Drug abuse is very common in young men and women who are molested in their very early teens. There have been studies done on this which support that.
jaack
It happened to me and led me to alcohol abuse. Which church is immaterial, what dogma is immaterial, he is the abuser who is never screened to see if abusive behavior will be acted on because there is NO OVERSIGHT. The religious leaders are put on a pedestal above any scrutiny. My own mother wouldn’t believe me because she believed a priest would never do that. From the TV preacher to the lowliest person in charge of children, their position puts them into a situation where the child is ORDERED to obey the abuser even when the behavior is wrong.
RIGay
And the Texas GOP Senatorial race has begun!
1EqualityUSA
the GOP is raping the country.
Kangol
Stories like this write themselves: white Christian Republican conservative anti-gay fanatic turns out to be hypocritical pedophile/rapist/abuser, etc. You can’t lock ’em up preemptively but you can keep an eye on them, because where there’s smoke, there’s fire!
Vince
They also never accept responsibility. You could have them on camera and the shitheads would call if fake news.
GayEGO
Don’tchya just love those righteous sexual pedophiles that sneak and molest young boys! And, Paul Pressler is a Republican!
Dragonhawk1959
It’s getting to where “family values” comes across as code for self loathing, closet case.
MacAdvisor
“Former TX state judge and lawmaker Paul Pressler stands accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy… (T)he Harris County lawsuit alleges the abuse continued for several decades.”
One could not abuse a 14-year old boy for several decades, only a year, tops. He then become a 15-year old boy, and eventually, assume several (“several means more than two, but not many”) decades, we’d get to a 34-year old man. One would think the victim would put a stop to it along the way to coming 34.
“The suit claims the abuse began in the late ’70s and did not slow down until Rollins went off to college in 1983.”
Oh, the abuse began in the late ’70s. That is 1976 at the earliest .and the boy goes off to college in 1983 when the abuse stops. I am seeing seven years here, not even a single decade, let alone several.
The math is off here. So, either the reporting is wrong, or the lawsuit has some real issue.
Bob LaBlah
“The math is off here. So, either the reporting is wrong, or the lawsuit has some real issue.”
So what else is new? lol lol You must be new to Queerty. lol lol This is the type of site where you read the article, for your own opinion and then comment in any tone you so desire. They have taken it upon themselves to victimize anything gay related regardless of how preposterous it sounds. A few months ago there was an incident down in Florida where a drugged out/comfortably kept queen beat her lover over the head with a dresser drawer and then took a piece of broken wood from the drawer and poked out the poor older sugar daddy’s eyes out. But Queerty slanted the article to make that meth’d out whore the victim. Queerty left out the part about the queens NUMEROUS drug arrests and even drug possession once she got arrested. Once people learned the truth and criticized the article all of a sudden the article disappeared.
Again, welcome to Queerty. lol lol
mhoffman953
@BobLaBlah
I remember that article. I also remember the one where Queerty painted that black transgender who was killed by police as a victim of police brutality. However, the story was that the transgender person violently attacked his neighbor, violently attacked his lover, then tried to stab a police officer before being shot to death.
Bob LaBlah
Remember the Pink Pistols episode and those videos we posted? lol lol
jaack
Are you arguing the abuse could never be restarted by an abusing State Judge who could get you put in prison if you refused his advances? Or that after 7 years the young man has not been psychologically damaged forever? Sounds like the abuser has a cheering section or a Christian apologist.
Brian
A thief cannot possibly be the victim of rape… yep, that sounds like typical GOP logic.
greybat
I’m sure the Senator was just feeling a bit Quiverfull those afternoons!
Joe1000
Regarding the comment about “worst kept secret in Houston,” in the linked article it is attributed to Rollins’ lawyer, not Pressler’s lawyer. This is a pretty sad story. Unfortunately, the sloppy error detracts from its credibility.
DCguy
Well Well Well, It looks like the Sanctimonious Religious leader kept vouching for and aiding the plaintiff in the case over the years. Seems a long way to go for somebody he wasn’t related to who was 40 years younger than him and supposedly only worked for him as a “Boy Friday” for a short time.
“Pressler repeatedly vouched for Rollins when he was being considered for parole on his various crimes. Pressler noted in a 2000 letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole that he was offering to be actively involved in helping someone’s rehabilitation for the first time “because I really believe in Duane.”
Two years later, Pressler successfully helped Rollins gain parole after pledging to “be personally involved in every bit of Duane’s life with supervision and control,” including employing him at the law firm he shares with Woodfill.”
https://texasmonitor.org/paul-pressler-jared-woodfill-defamation-suit/
Rex Huskey
fool, we can all google and read it too and opine like we know sh*t. you’re so…so…so…so ersatz!
Rex Huskey
at 87, I’m betting he ain’t praying for a long life on this earth now. He’ll prob take meeting up with Calvin sooner rather than later!