Chicago Daily Herald

Pastor charged with spanking girl
By Charles Keeshan
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Thursday, May 11, 2006

The pastor of an Elgin church repeatedly spanked a teenage girl with
a 3-foot piece of wood to make her stop making sex abuse allegations
against a family member, police said today.

The Rev. Daryl P. Bujak, 30, of Elgin, turned himself in to police
Wednesday after authorities filed a misdemeanor battery charge
against him stemming from the weekly beatings that occurred between
March and May of 2005.

Police now believe the 13-year-old McHenry County girl was telling
the truth when she claimed a relative, Matthew Resh, molested her.

Resh, 33, of Ingleside, was arrested this week on five counts of
predatory criminal sexual assault alleging he abused the girl between
September 2003 and November 2005.

Elgin police said that after the girl began making claims against
Resh last year, her parents brought her to Bujak for counseling.

"He believed she was lying and recommended that she be disciplined by
spanking," police Lt. Mike Turner said Thursday. "He set up a time
she would come every Wednesday before services for a spanking."

The spankings, which took place during 45-minute sessions for a two-
month period, were done with a 3-foot by two-inch piece of wood
molding, police said.

Bujak, who is free after posting 10 percent of a $5,000 bond
Wednesday, was not immediately available for comment Thursday. Turner
said he refused to speak with investigators about the allegations.

According to its web site, First Missionary Baptist Church is a
fundamentalist church unaffiliated with any Baptist organization. In
a letter to visitors, Bujak describes his church as "one that cares
about the lives of people."

Resh, a former plan commissioner for the McHenry County village of
Richmond, is free after posting 10 percent of a $200,000 bond. He is
scheduled to appear in court May 18. If found guilty, he could face
up to 60 years in prison.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=188251

Police claim Elgin pastor beat teen weekly

ELGIN – A 13-year-old Richmond girl who accused a male relative of sexual abuse was beaten weekly for more than a month by an Elgin pastor who was counseling her about the alleged abuse, police said Thursday.
The Rev. Daryl P. Bujak, 30, pastor at First Missionary Baptist Church at 385 Silver St. in Elgin, was disciplining the girl for making the allegations, Elgin Police Lt. Mike Turner said. The girl's mother and the accused relative agreed to the discipline, which involved Bujak allegedly spanking the girl repeatedly with a 3-foot by 2-inch piece of wood molding on Wednesdays before church services from March to May 2005, Turner said. Kane County Chronicle Photo Archives "He told them flat-out what he was going to do," Turner said.
The 13-year-old's mother told the NorthWest News Group on Thursday that she and the accused, Matthew Resh, brought the girl to Bujak in mid-March 2005 because the mother thought she was lying about the sexual assault allegations.
"She always lied a lot, so when she said these things about Matt, her credibility was already damaged," the mother said. "She could have easily been lying about this as well." The mother said the first time they met with Bujak, he told them he was a former police officer and had worked with "tons of molested teens."
The girl suffered bruises and welts to the back of her legs and buttocks. Bujak, who turned himself in on Wednesday, was charged with one misdemeanor count of battery. Bujak also told Resh that he should spank the girl, the girl's mother said. Resh, 33, of 26445 W. Route 134, Apt. 6, Ingleside, was charged Monday with five counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Resh is a former member of the Richmond Plan Commission. "It would be nothing for [Bujak] to spank her 30 or 40 times at one sitting," the mother said. "Matt did the same thing. He would spank her like 100 times at one sitting." Bujak would spank the girl once a week, and Resh would spank her more often, the mother said. The girl's mother admitted that, in hindsight, the entire situation looked odd. "I should have been more assertive," she said.
The mother said she notified police in October 2005 of the alleged sexual abuse. "Now I'm like, what did I put my daughter through." Bujak, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, lives in a home attached to the church building. In a message on the church's Web site, Bujak describes the church as one that "cares about the lives of people."
Information on the Web site describes the church as fundamental and grounded in the Baptist tradition, but independent and unaffiliated with any particular denomination. Riley Barrett, whose father was formerly a missionary with First Missionary Baptist Church, described Bujak as an upstanding man who loved his family. "He definitely loves his kids and he's a loving father, and he wouldn't do anything to hurt children," said Barrett, 18. Barrett, who was unaware of the charges, said Bujak was well-liked among children at a weeklong Bible camp that he attended in the summers.
"He's probably one of the most popular people with the kids," Barrett said. Debbie Campbell, who lives next door to the church on Silver Street, said she knew the family and was shocked by the situation. "We know the kids, the wife, everyone," she said. "It is a nice family." McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi declined to comment on the charges against Bujak. Bujak posted $500 of a $5,000 bond and was released, police said. He is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. June 16 in Elgin.