Father Dan Mallette, Priest Beaten During 2011 Church Break-In, Has Died At Age 85
(CBS) -- An 85-year-old Chicago priest -- beaten and robbed in his South Side rectory more than five years ago -- has died.
It was in December of 2011 when two burglars who had broken into St. Margaret of Scotland Church woke Father Daniel Mallette and beat him with a holy water sprinkler.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart knew Mallette since Dart was a child and calls him "one of the most amazing people" he's ever known.
The tough priest bounced back physically from the well-publicized attack, Dart says, but Mallette was always a little haunted by it.
"He'd call me up some mornings and tell me that he woke up, thinking they were standing over him again. He'd have what people I think would say PTSD, where he'd have flashbacks," Dart says.
The sheriff notes Mallette didn't slow down, either, and made frequent trips to Cook County Jail to minister to inmates.
"He was like, 'Tommy, let's get back to the jail. We've got people to work with,'" Dart says.