Fresno native's fight against fentanyl reaches White House after son's death, alleged molestation by priest

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – With the changeable of a pen, President Trump signed the bipartisan 'HALT Fentanyl Act' into instrumentality this July, arsenic a parent and Fresno autochthonal who knows the deadly drug's impacts firsthand, stood conscionable feet away.

"When you person these times wherever you consciousness similar things are progressing, you're fighting, you're perpetually fighting, that was a solemnisation for us," said Karen Lowart, whose lad Jason died successful an accidental overdose successful 2023.

Lowart shared with maine however she was invited to the White House with others from the radical Fentanyl Fathers. A radical made up of parents who person mislaid their children to fentanyl, who present purpose to dispersed consciousness astir the state by speaking astatine schools, and to galore young radical specifically.

Lowart says this measure reclassifies fentanyl-related substances arsenic Schedule 1 substances. That, she says, volition beryllium a crippled changer.

"Under the bill, the offenses involving fentanyl-related substances of 100 grams oregon much trigger a minimum mandatory condemnation of 10 years," she said.

She says portion helium was successful his twenties, her lad Jason turned to cause usage aft she says helium revealed helium was molested by a erstwhile clergyman with the Fresno Diocese, Don Flickinger, astatine conscionable 4 and a fractional years old.

Lowart says it happened successful the pulverization country of his grandparents' location connected their 50^th wedding anniversary.

"He tried truthful hard. He gave everything helium could to combat this, but the nightmares of the maltreatment were truthful horrific that helium would telephone america successful the mediate of the night," Lowart said. "It was conscionable the symptom of the molestation that helium conscionable kept going backmost to drugs."

That time successful 2000, the household had a camera astatine their celebration. Lowart shared the video, and it shows a precise young Jason appearing distraught arsenic Flickinger, adjacent to the household for years, stood by arsenic the gathering worked to airs for a picture.

"He can't halt crying, and the priest, Flickinger, is conscionable stoically staring astatine him, and it was chilling," Lowart says arsenic she recollected what she saw. A video, she said, she could initially lone ticker for a minute.

Jason would person been 29 successful April, arsenic Flickinger passed distant successful December astatine 8, a antheral Lowart says had implicit 100 accusations of abuse.

"He's gone and helium can't wounded anybody anymore," Lowart said. "So, that gave maine immoderate bid cognize that he's not connected this world anymore."

Still, she says the combat for justness is ongoing, arsenic her household and astir 150 others are awaiting the outcomes of civilian suits against the Fresno Diocese, pursuing its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing July 1.

"It conscionable takes a agelong time. But we're going to wait. We're going to wait," said says. "We've learned to beryllium diligent and we'll patiently hold and support warring for our lad and each of those survivors who went done specified horrific acts."

YourCentralValley.com reached retired to the diocese, but it has nary remark connected the allegations oregon bankruptcy proceedings astatine this time.