A Peace Order Declined
“We don’t shield ANY abusers, never have, never will, and let me say this, if you think we shield abusers, find another church.” Robert Hahn, 3/13/2022
The following is now all a matter of public record.
This past Tuesday evening, I received an email from a “witness” who bravely wrote to me regarding a conversation they had had with Robert Hahn. This witness said that during their conversation, Hahn said the following (cut and pasted directly from the email):
(Hahn) said you all crossed a line bringing (redacted) into it and since Mary was my friend he wanted me to know that she stands to lose the most. Her license, her kids, etc. And when it all comes crashing down, she'll know she could have stopped it. I asked him about forgiveness and he said you all were part forgiveness and where he comes from in NY people who cross the line don't live.
(Later, I did a bit of research. Farmingdale, NY, where Hahn grew up, is also where the notorious mobster Thomas “Tommy Shots” Gioeli lived and subsequently buried his victims. Aside from the mob connection, there is no indication that the good citizens of Farmingdale are a vengeful people. )
I (Holly) reside in the state of New York, though, thankfully, nowhere near the Long Island area.
I was alarmed enough to immediately call my sister. I also forwarded her the email.
I think what rattled her the most was the mention of her children.
Mary (pseudonym Sara in earlier blog posts) decided to speak with the authorities about her options. She wanted there to be a record of what was said in the email. She left her house a little after 9 pm and went to the police station. The police referred her to the county commissioner’s office, where she filed a peace order against Robert Hahn.
On Wednesday, she decided her two children should stay elsewhere until she found out whether or not the judge would the peace order.
(For those who don’t reside in Maryland, a peace order is “a type of restraining order that requires a person who is not related to or living with someone to stay away from the person filing with the court. These people could be friends, acquaintances, neighbors or complete strangers. The party seeking an order is known as the “petitioner” and the party receiving an order is known as the “respondent”. Peace orders are regulated under Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article, Section 3-1501.”)
The hearing took place yesterday, Thursday, June 2nd, at 1:00 pm. My sister attended the hearing, accompanied by two friends. Hahn was there with his attorney and his wife. My sister brought the email in question with her as evidence.
At the start of the hearing, Hahn’s attorney objected to the evidence, arguing that it was “hearsay.” (Definition of hearsay evidence: Hearsay is an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of whatever it asserts. Hearsay evidence is often inadmissible at trial.)
The judge informed my sister that she should have brought the actual witness with her to the hearing instead of the email. He did not grant her the peace order but told her she could appeal the decision and bring the witness who could then give first-hand testimony of the conversation they had with Robert Hahn.
At the moment, Mary is leaning toward not appealing the decision, as a “piece of paper” rarely protects a person. She is satisfied her concern has been put into the public record.
This morning, Robert Hahn was again allowed to preach. He gave the third sermon of a series on “giving.”
We repeat our request that the leadership of Chesapeake Church hire an outside investigation team to thoroughly examine the abuse and mistreatment of those who were under the authority of Robert Hahn.
Here is one such organization:
netgrace.org
