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Former Methodist leader, facing charges of sexual misconduct and abuse, no longer ordained

Donald Heckman, who goes by Bud, withdrew from West Ohio Con­ference membership June 10 under complaint, the conference announced. That means he surrendered his credentials as an ordained elder.

This development comes nearly six months after Heckman and conference leadership reached a resolution of an earlier complaint of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse brought by four women. Neither the women nor their two advocates were involved in the settlement, which avoided a church trial.