Lawyer: Delbarton Monk, Accused of Abuse, Took Lie Detector

An attorney says the ex-Delbarton School headmaster and monk facing allegations of sexual misconduct took and passed two lie detector tests, according to a report on NJ.com.

The statement comes just days after the same former headmaster, the Rev. Luke Travers, severed ties with St. Mary's Abbey, which directs the school.

"He is no longer the responsibility of the abbey," Abbey spokesman Anthony Cicatiello told NJ.com.

The site reported that attorney Gerard Hanlon of Morristown said Travers took the lie detector tests because he's adamant he's done nothing wrong, and wanted to demonstrate it.

Allegations of misconduct mounted over the past year. T," in a letter to its community. Because of that matter, Travers had been removed from his more recent position as the non-residential administrator of the Mary Mother of Church Abbey in Richmond. It stemmed from a letter written by a former student and sent to the St. Mary's the previous summer.

"He crossed boundaries which betrayed the inherent trust which is sacred to his position as a teacher and a priest," the letter states. "Apart from inappropriate remarks concerning appreciation of my physical appearance, he would increasingly attempt close contact with me."

It continues: "He invited me back to the monastery (he sneaked me in as lay people are not allowed there), and offered me a beer in his room. He began to talk about how other monks 'visit his room often.'  Then, he asked me to sit on his bed with him. I did not. There were several times when he would hug me (I have no problem with that), but then would start kissing me on the neck and ears. When I protested, he said there was nothing wrong with what he was doing because he loved me."

Over time, .

One was former Morris County resident who now lives in North Carolina. In a notarized statement released by Marker, the alleged victim says the Travers "kissed my neck and then put his cheek on my cheek" during an intimate confessional session.

"Only recently have I begun to understand the effect that Father Luke’s actions had in my life. I do not wish similar pain or confusion on any person," that alleged victim says in the letter.

The only alleged victims to publicly speak are two brothers who are suing Delbarton, claiming it didn't do enough to stop abuse. That suit also alleges abuse by the Rev. Justin Caputo, who until recently was assigned to Notre Dame of Mt. Carmel Parish in Cedar Knolls.

It claimes that between 1977 and 1980, Caputo sexually abused both brothers, William Crane Jr, and Thomas Crane. It says that in 1980, Travers sexually assaulted Thomas Crane.

“This is not a minimal boundary issue,” William Crane Jr. said during a press conference when the suit was filed.

Law enforcement officials have not made any comment on any investigation that may be ongoing.