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	Former Arcata Pastor Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of a Minor; Sentencing Hearing Set for July The Times-Standard June 23, 2011 http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_18336604 A former Arcata pastor charged with allegations of sexual abuse against two minors -- one of whom lived in his home -- has pleaded guilty to several charges, the Humboldt County District Attorney's office reported Wednesday. Dino Cardelli, 50, pleaded guilty Monday to continuous sexual abuse of a minor, child molestation, attempting to dissuade a witness, and 25 counts of violating a court order to not contact the witness. He faces up to 18 years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender for life. Deputy District Attorney Kelly Neel said the law requires Cardelli to go through what is commonly referred to as a "psycho-sexual" evaluation for the court's consideration prior to sentencing. The next hearing in the case is set for July 18. After the former pastor at Calvary Chapel was arrested in September, the prosecution charged him with three counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with a child under 14 years old, seven counts alleging there were multiple victims in the case, two counts of oral copulation with a child under 16, recurring sexual conduct with a victim under 14 and a special allegation of a victim under 14. In December, Cardelli was given explicit orders from the court to refrain from any contact with the pair of alleged minor victims in the case, including both phone and Internet contact. Prosecutors argued in January that Cardelli had used a throw-away cell phone and a "false" Facebook page to contact the one of the victims. Donna Tam can be reached at 441-0532 or dtam@times-standard.com.
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