Former St. George's School Chaplain Pleads Guilty

MIDDLETOWN, RI — Howard White Jr., a former chaplain at St. George's School, has pleaded guilty to charges he assaulted a teen student, then age 15 and 16, on two overnight trips to Boston, the Boston Globe reported Monday. White, now 75, is a defrocked Episcopal priest. He is expected to receive an 18-month sentence.

Although the crimes happened more than 40 years ago, the statute of limitations did not stop Massachusetts from pressing charges. At the time of the alleged offenses, Massachusetts had not yet enacted the indecent assault and battery statute, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said earlier. The statute of limitations did not bar prosecutors from trying the case because White had never been “usually and publicly a resident within the commonwealth” as required by that statute. He was arraigned in December.

Assistant District Attorney Audrey Mark, chief of Conley’s Child Protection Unit, told the court last fall that White was an associate chaplain and the victim was a student at St. George’s School in Middletown, Rhode Island, during the time frame in question.

"As an academic advisor, White allegedly befriended the youngster, bringing him over to help with his studies and taking him out to dinner," according to the prosecution. "In the spring and fall of 1973, he allegedly took the boy on overnight trips, including two trips to Boston, where they stayed at a hotel and White assaulted him." In his sophomore year, prosecutors say, the victim confronted White about the abuse and told him it had to stop. White responded, “If you try to stop, I’ll make your life difficult,” prosecutors said. The victim reported the abuse to school faculty in 1974, and White allegedly admitted to a faculty member that he had sexually

Conley said White was charged with five counts of assault and battery. The indictments, which were returned Nov. 21, charged him with sexually assaulting the boy during two trips to Boston in 1973 when the victim was between 15 and 16 years old.