DRUG SCANDAL SHAKES SMALL TOSA CHURCH

National Leader Blames Deacon; Pastor Also Under Investigation

By Tom Held and Jessica McBride of the Journal Sentinel staff

Members of the Old Catholic Church of America need to pray that a Wauwatosa
deacon arrested on drug accusations will "open his eyes to the bad path
that he has chosen," the church's national leader said Thursday.

Archbishop Emeritus Walter X. Brown issued the call for prayer for Deacon
Gerald Glock as details of a drug scandal involving Holy Angels Old
Catholic Church, 1510 N. 70th St., became public.

Also arrested was Bishop Marc Crumpton, 58, the church's pastor. The two
were among 16 people arrested this week as officers in the Metro Drug Unit
attempted to break up a cocaine and marijuana distribution network in the
Milwaukee area.

Executing 11 search warrants at locations around the metropolitan area, the
officers recovered 12 weapons, six vehicles, a boat, $64,000 in cash and 4
pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $400,000.

In a telephone interview, Archbishop Brown denounced the allegations that
Crumpton has been involved in what law enforcement authorities called a
sophisticated drug operation.

Brown also said Glock has been suspended from his role of deacon, while no
action has been taken against Crumpton.

"I've known him (Crumpton) a number of years, and he abhors anything that's
like drugs or alcohol or anything," Brown said. "I think this is an
isolated thing connected with one person there, and not anybody in the
church or the bishop."

Officers executing a search warrant in Crumpton's residence next to the
church recovered "three grams of suspected marijuana from his bedroom and
several smoking pipes," according to arrest records.

Crumpton later gave a statement to officers in which he admitted the
substance found in his bedroom was marijuana and the pipes found were used
for smoking marijuana, the report said.

Crumpton has been ordered to appear in court to answer to potential drug
charges, along with Glock, 47. Crumpton might face drug possession charges,
while Glock might face charges of conspiracy to deliver cocaine and
marijuana, according to jail records.

The men lived in separate units of a duplex adjacent to the small, white
church, which stands on a hill in a residential neighborhood. The duplex
doubles as the church rectory.

No drugs were found during a search of the church itself.

Glock's daughter and soninlaw, who were married in the church on Sept.
20, also were arrested in the sweep. Charges being considered against them
and others include conspiracy to deliver cocaine and marijuana.

"Cops raided everybody's house we know," said Glock's daughter, Latricia
Lawrence. "This is really scary."

Lawrence denied any involvement in drug dealing and said she had no
knowledge of any dealing by her husband or father. Her husband, Brian
Lawrence, also denied any involvement in drug dealing.

West Allis Police Lt. Larry Warwick, a member of the Metro Drug Unit, said
the 16 people arrested were friends and acquaintances of one another.

Warwick said the joint investigation began in June, and some of the people
arrested had been investigated by agencies since 1995.

"We found a very sophisticated organization distributing cocaine in
Milwaukee," Warwick said.

He said the organization was sophisticated in part because "higherlevel
people in this organization never really handled the drugs."

In addition to the Wauwatosa church, the search warrants were executed at
homes in Dousman, West Allis, Greenfield, South Milwaukee and Milwaukee.
Warwick said the group had a "broad customer base."

Glock has a criminal record, according to a check with the state Department
of Justice's Crime Information Bureau. He was arrested in a burglary case
in 1982 by Milwaukee police, although it was not clear whether there was a
conviction. Twice he was arrested for failing to appear in court. He was
convicted of trade practices violations in 1986 and sentenced to a stayed
ninemonth jail term in the House of Correction and three years of probation.

Crumpton also known has Loyd Crumpton, according to the arrest report
has no criminal record, the agency said.

If true, allegations of a drug scandal involving Holy Angels would prove
ironic, considering that the church operated a drug and alcohol
rehabilitation center on N. 50th St. in Milwaukee for about two decades.

Crumpton worked in the center, the Holy Family Retreat Hall, before the
church sold it about seven years ago, Brown said.

Background of Church

Holy Angels has played an important role in the Old Catholic Church of
America, which has as many as 10,000 members in the United States and Canada.

The church hosted a synod of 21 priests and bishops from across the country
in August and is scheduled to be the site of a ceremony later this month at
which Bishop James Bostick will be installed as the church's new
archbishop, succeeding Brown.

Brown said he believes Glock is solely responsible for the drug allegations
involving the church.

Brown said he expected Crumpton to address the drug allegations during
church services Sunday.

"Bishop Marc will have to explain to them what has happened," Brown said.
"One person who has done wrong isn't going to destroy what we have and what
we believe. After all, if there weren't people in trouble and doing wrong,
we wouldn't have any purpose for existing, would we?"

Sheriff Lev Baldwin said the arrests proved again that the evils of drug
abuse can cross "all walks of life."

"It's insidious," Baldwin said.

Tom Heinen of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.