Notre Dame University police are investigating a charge by a South Bend TV
reporter that a university executive vice president -- and, effectively, the head
of her station -- shoved her and another reporter prior to a mass on which they
had planned to file a report.
Bonnie Druker of Notre Dame-owned WNDU(TV) said Father Timothy Scully
confronted her and later confronted WSBT-TV reporter Jennifer Kuk about parking
illegally prior to a mass for a missing student.
Druker says she was shocked when the priest confronted her and that she
smelled alcohol on his breath when he shoved her.
She said Scully had asked her: "Do you know who I am?" and pointed out to her
that he was, in fact, the chairman of the board that owns her station.
"I know who Father Scully is," she said.
Neither she nor Kuk -- who confirmed that Scully shoved her, as well, but has not
gone to police -- were able to do their live shot from the scene of the mass.
"As a reporter, I've had doors closed in my face," Druker said, "but I've
never been treated that way, and especially by a priest."
Scully called both reporters to apologize.
Druker said her station had not pressured her in any way to back off her
report to police.
The station referred calls to university spokesman Matthew Storin, who noted
that the priest -- who lives on the same floor of the residence hall as the
missing young man -- has been upset over the disappearance.
"Father Scully would be the first to concede he overreacted to the parked
vehicles," Storin said, adding that he believed the matter was behind them.
