RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's attorney general has joined officials from around the country investigating possible sexual abuse by clergy.
Attorney General Mark Herring said Wednesday that his office and the Virginia State Police are looking into whether sexual abuse of children took place in Virginia and whether any church officials may have covered up or "abetted any such crimes."
Herring says the investigation of the state's Roman Catholic dioceses was prompted by a grand jury report released in August documenting decades of sexual abuse of children by priests and a cover-up by church leaders in Pennsylvania.
The report also has spurred action by officials in other states, including Maryland, New York and New Jersey.
Herring said he has set up a hotline and online reporting form for any victims to report abuse.
