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	Priest Suspected of Assaulting Parish Worker Arrested in Arizona By Amanda Lee Myers Las Vegas Sun [Phoenix AZ] February 2, 2007 http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2007/feb/02/020210399.html A Roman Catholic priest accused of beating and sexually assaulting a female employee at his Las Vegas parish and fleeing to Arizona could soon be extradited to Nevada to face charges, an FBI official said. The Rev. George Chaanine, 52, was arrested without incident Thursday in Apache Junction, about 30 miles east of Phoenix, said Deb McCarley, a spokeswoman for the FBI office in Phoenix. He was being held in a county jail in Phoenix on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. But that charge most likely would be dropped so Chaanine can be quickly extradited to Las Vegas, where he is wanted for attempted murder, sexual assault, kidnapping and battery with a deadly weapon, McCarley said. After fleeing Las Vegas, Chaanine went to California, where he withdrew a large amount of money from his bank and later left for Arizona, according to a probable cause statement filed in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix. The court document released Friday didn't say how much money he withdrew. Chaanine had an initial appearance in Superior Court late Thursday night. Court spokeswoman Karen Arra said she didn't know if he'd had a hearing yet to address extradition. The priest refused an interview request made by The Associated Press. Chaanine has been a fugitive since the alleged Jan. 26 assault of 54-year-old office worker at the Our Lady of Las Vegas parish, where the priest was an administrator. The woman told Las Vegas police that she was sitting at her desk when Chaanine broke a full bottle of wine over her head, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her down a hall toward his office. She fought back, lost consciousness, and awoke with Chaanine touching her private parts, according to the police report. She continued fighting until Chaanine straddled her and grabbed her throat. She told detectives she began to pray for her life before the attack suddenly stopped. The woman told police that after the attack Chaanine muttered that he was going to kill himself. He said he would call an ambulance, and left the church, she told police. Chaanine has been suspended with pay from his position as church administrative pastor. In a statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas, Bishop Joseph Pepe praised authorities for finding Chaanine. "We are relieved that Father Chaanine has been found and now justice can be served through the legal process," Pepe said. "We have worked closely with the authorities and are hopeful that the information we provided proved helpful." In Las Vegas, a small group representing the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests distributed leaflets Friday morning outside the church in a residential neighborhood about 2 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip. "It was a huge step for this lady to come forward," said Paul Livingston, a San Diego resident who said he was trying to organize a SNAP chapter in southern Nevada. "We want to know if there are other witnesses," Livingston said. "We don't want people to stay silent on this one." Chaanine, a native of Lebanon, was ordained in 1996 and worked at churches in Detroit, Youngstown, Ohio, El Paso, Texas, and Wheeling, W.Va., before beginning work at Our Lady of Las Vegas in 2004, the diocese said. A Roman Catholic priest accused of beating and sexually assaulting a female employee at his Las Vegas parish and fleeing to Arizona could soon be extradited to Nevada to face charges, an FBI official said. The Rev. George Chaanine, 52, was arrested without incident Thursday in Apache Junction, about 30 miles east of Phoenix, said Deb McCarley, a spokeswoman for the FBI office in Phoenix. He was being held in a county jail in Phoenix on a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. But that charge most likely would be dropped so Chaanine can be quickly extradited to Las Vegas, where he is wanted for attempted murder, sexual assault, kidnapping and battery with a deadly weapon, McCarley said. After fleeing Las Vegas, Chaanine went to California, where he withdrew a large amount of money from his bank and later left for Arizona, according to a probable cause statement filed in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix. The court document released Friday didn't say how much money he withdrew. Chaanine had an initial appearance in Superior Court late Thursday night. Court spokeswoman Karen Arra said she didn't know if he'd had a hearing yet to address extradition. The priest refused an interview request made by The Associated Press. Chaanine has been a fugitive since the alleged Jan. 26 assault of 54-year-old office worker at the Our Lady of Las Vegas parish, where the priest was an administrator. The woman told Las Vegas police that she was sitting at her desk when Chaanine broke a full bottle of wine over her head, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her down a hall toward his office. She fought back, lost consciousness, and awoke with Chaanine touching her private parts, according to the police report. She continued fighting until Chaanine straddled her and grabbed her throat. She told detectives she began to pray for her life before the attack suddenly stopped. The woman told police that after the attack Chaanine muttered that he was going to kill himself. He said he would call an ambulance, and left the church, she told police. Chaanine has been suspended with pay from his position as church administrative pastor. In a statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas, Bishop Joseph Pepe praised authorities for finding Chaanine. "We are relieved that Father Chaanine has been found and now justice can be served through the legal process," Pepe said. "We have worked closely with the authorities and are hopeful that the information we provided proved helpful." In Las Vegas, a small group representing the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests distributed leaflets Friday morning outside the church in a residential neighborhood about 2 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip. "It was a huge step for this lady to come forward," said Paul Livingston, a San Diego resident who said he was trying to organize a SNAP chapter in southern Nevada. "We want to know if there are other witnesses," Livingston said. "We don't want people to stay silent on this one." Chaanine, a native of Lebanon, was ordained in 1996 and worked at churches in Detroit, Youngstown, Ohio, El Paso, Texas, and Wheeling, W.Va., before beginning work at Our Lady of Las Vegas in 2004, the diocese said.
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