By Imran Ghori
The Press-Enterprise
April 25, 2011
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_nmolest26.1374b45.html
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| Alejandro Alex Jose Castillo |
An Ontario priest pleaded guilty Monday to molesting a 12-year-old boy who attended his church.
Alejandro Jose Castillo admitted his guilt as part of a plea agreement in which he will serve a year in jail.
Castillo, 57, entered a guilty plea in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga to one count of a lewd and lascivious act against a child under the age of 14, Deputy District Attorney Karen Schmauss said.
Castillo was originally charged with seven counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and one count of forcible lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 when he was arrested in October.
The alleged acts occurred in late 2008, when Castillo was pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Ontario, where he had served since 2003.
Castillo, who is out on bond and must wear an electronic-monitoring device, will return to court for sentencing June 15.
Under the agreement, he will serve 365 days in county jail and cannot have the sentenced reduced by more than 15 percent for good behavior. He must also register as a sex offender.
Prosecutors agreed to the deal due to the wishes of the victim's family, Schmauss said. The case would have required the testimony of the 12-year-old boy and his 14-year-old brother, and their mother wanted to spare them that, she said.
"All along, she just wanted him to acknowledge his guilt and register as a sex offender," Schmauss said.
The older brother is also believed to have been a victim but Castillo was not charged in that case because the statute of limitations had expired, she said.
Reach Imran Ghori at 951-368-9558 or ighori@PE.com
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