California Catholic Daily
May 21, 2009
http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=7188a625-2f8e-4ca7-a1cd-a9d93f862fb2
 |
San Diego police are crediting the Diocese of San Diego for the apprehension of a man accused of child molestation.
On Tuesday, Daniel “Danny” Herrera pleaded not guilty to charges of oral copulation by a person over 21 on a person under 16 and committing a lewd act on a child 14 or 15. Judge David Szumowski ordered Herrera held on $100,000 bail pending a review hearing tomorrow.
Herrera was arrested on Friday, May 15, following an investigation that was prompted when police were alerted by the San Diego diocese after the alleged victim reported it to diocesan officials in October 2008, a police department spokesman said.
The charges against Herrera stem from the alleged molestation of a 14-year-old former altar boy who said he was sexually molested in late 2005, but did not tell the diocese until three years later.
Herrera has worked for the San Diego Unified School District for 24 years, and at the time of his arrest was working as a bus monitor for special education students, police said.
Authorities said he also volunteered as an organizer for altar boys at Saint Joseph's Cathedral, Saint Jude's Shrine and Our Lady of Angels, all in San Diego. Herrera’s alleged victim was not a San Diego Unified School District student, they said.
Deputy District Attorney Rachel Cano told KFMB television news that investigators are looking into the possibility that other altar boys “may have had inappropriate contact with the defendant.” Cano, said KFMB news, “urged anyone with information on Herrera to call the San Diego Police Department's Sex Crimes Unit.”
If convicted, Herrera could be sentenced to up to three years and eight months in prison, Cano told KFMB.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.