By Richard Brooks
The Press-Enterprise
October 26, 2010
http://blogs.pe.com/news/digest/2010/10/ontario-priest-jailed-on-sex-c.html
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| Rev. Jose Alejandro 'Father Alex' Castillo |
A 57-year-old Ontario priest has been jailed on charges of felony sex crimes involving a 12-year-old boy, police announced this morning.
Rev. Jose Alejandro Castillo was arrested at 3:55 p.m. Monday at a house along the 600 block of West Zenia Court and booked on a warrant that charges him with seven counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 and one count of a forcible lewd or lascivious act with a child under the age of 14, according to jail records and police.
Castillo is being held on $1 million bail. If convicted as charged, he would face a maximum punishment of 22 years in prison, police say.
Known as Father Alex to his parishioners, the priest served for the past seven years at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church along the 700 block of South Sultana Avenue in Ontario.
Police began their investigation July 21, investigators said in a written statement.
"During the course of this nearly three-month-long investigation, detectives were able to confirm eight separate acts of inappropriate sexual contact perpetrated by Father Alex upon a 12-year-old boy," according to the statement. "A 16-year-old boy has been identified as a victim as well, but due to the nature of the crime, his age at the time of the incident and the statute of limitations, charges will not be filed.
"An additional incident ... involved a 14-year-old boy and is being reviewed for charges."
Encounters involving two males at other parishes also have been investigated, the statement says, but those cases won't be prosecuted because both males were over the age 18 at the time of the incidents.
Contact: rbrooks@PE.com
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