CALIFORNIA
The Desert Sun
Lois Gormley
The Desert Sun
February 2, 2005
A warrant was issued Monday for the arrest of a former Coachella priest on 58 counts of sexual abuse and molestation against two boys during his service as a priest in Riverside County in the 1980s.
The current whereabouts of Jesus "Jesse" Armando Dominguez, 55, are unknown. He served for three years at Our Lady of Soledad in Coachella. His last address of record was in the Los Angeles area near Whittier but authorities believe he might now be in Mexico.
"We are confident there are other victims out there," said Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Morgan Gire. "Until he is apprehended we are concerned he is continuing to victimize children."
Bishop Gerald R. Barnes has directed that a letter be read following weekend Masses at the four parishes to which Dominguez was assigned.
"That message will urge any victims of abuse by priests or church personnel to please come forward and begin the healing process," said the Rev. Howard Lincoln, spokesman for the San Bernardino Diocese which also covers Riverside County.
Dominguez is charged with numerous acts of unlawful oral copulation, sexual penetration and sodomy against two boys, ages 14 to 17, between January 1988 and April 1989 while working at churches in Coachella and Perris.
The investigation is ongoing.
Posted by kshaw at February 2, 2005 06:39 AM