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Priest Arrested at Victoria Airport C-Fax August 6, 2010 http://www.cfax1070.com/newsstory.php?newsId=14678 CHARGES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, SEXUAL INTERFERENCE AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION HAVE BEEN APPROVED AGAINST THE FORMER PARISH PRIEST OF ST JOSEPH THE WORKER'S PARISH IN SAANICH SERGEANT DEAN JANTZEN SAYS JACOBS WAS THE SUBJECT OF POLICE INVESTIGATION FOR SIMILAR ALLEGATIONS IN 2002 "in 2002 a complainant in Ohio released information to local media alleging that Phillip Jacobs had committed sexual offences against children in Ohio when he was a resident there. The Saanich police department initiated an investigation of Phillip Jacobs in response to this information. The investigation was concluded at the time as there was deemed to be insufficient evidence to proceed with any charges" JANTZEN SAYS IN 2009, NEW ALLEGATIONS CAME FORWARD "in 2009 the Saanich police family protection unit received information that led to the initiation of a new investigation regarding Phillip Jacobs in his capacity as Parish Priest at St Joseph the Worker Parish. Investigators gathered sufficient evidence to reccommend criminal charges to Crown Counsel for allegations of child sexual abuse" JANTZEN SAYS THE OFFENCES INVOLVE CHILDREN UP TO THE AGE OF 14. HE WOULD NOT SPECIFY THE GENDER OF THE ALLEGED VICTIMS CROWN APPROVED THE CHARGES ON JULY 9TH AND JACOBS WAS ARRESTED WEDNESDAY AT VICTORIA AIRPORT WITHOUT INCIDENT---THOUGH JANTZEN SAYS HE SEEMED SURPRISED SAANICH POLICE ARE ASKING ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE HAD QUESTIONABLE ENCOUNTERS WITH JACOBS DURING HIS TIME AS PARISH PRIEST OF ST JOSEPH THE WORKER PARISH FROM 1998-2002 TO COME FORWARD MEANWHILE THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE FIELDED TOUGH QUESTIONS FROM REPORTERS TODAY AFTER NEWS OF THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST JACOBS SURFACED AS /A\ NEWS REPORTS BISHOP RICHARD GAGNON SAYS THE NEWS CAME AS A SHOCK "the Vatican has not been informed of this situation as Father Jacobs has been charged, the investigation is in process, so we're waiting to see what happens in that process" GAGNON SAYS UNDER THE DIOCESE'S CURRENT HIRING PRACTICES JACOBS WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN HIRED "and if he had been hired he certainly would have not continued in our ministry" GAGNON ADMITS THE CHURCH FAILED IT'S PARISHONERS BY HIRING JACOBS WITHOUT KNOWING ABOUT THE PREVIOUS ALLEGATIONS |
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