Supporters Patiently Await Priest's Release from Sacramento Jail

By Andy Furillo
The Sacramento Bee
January 10, 2012

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/10/4175386/supporters-patiently-await-priests.html

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Supporters of the Rev. Uriel Ojeda waited into the darkness Monday to see if the Catholic priest jailed on child molestation charges would be able to post bail.

More than 50 people sang songs in Spanish and flew balloons outside the Sacramento County Main Jail while Ojeda's attorney and bail bondsmen worked on the details to gain what they expected would be the priest's release.

Ojeda, 32, is accused of seven counts of molesting a girl under the age of 14 while he served at parishes in Woodland and Redding. He had been jailed in lieu of $5 million bail until Sacramento Superior Court Judge Marjorie Koller last week lowered it to $700,000.

Defense attorney Jesse Ortiz initially expected Ojeda to be released by 5 p.m. By 6:30 p.m., Ojeda's supporters scrambled to post the collateral that would ensure his freedom to await his appearance in court outside a cell.

As of press time Monday night, the vigil continued.

Ortiz appeared briefly at the jail in the late afternoon but spoke only briefly with reporters on his way inside.

On the outside, unemployed Woodland substitute school teacher Javier Sepulveda joined the crowd in singing prayers on behalf of Ojeda and hoping for his release.

"After all this time, we're just glad he's getting out," Sepulveda said. "Now we just ask that he get his due process in court. … And that he not be treated based on the Catholic church's past history. We ask that he be treated as an American citizen like anybody else."

Deputy District Attorney Allison Dunham argued in court last week against Ojeda's successful bail reduction motion. She told the judge the priest had admitted to officials from the Sacramento diocese that he had molested the girl. Dunham was not available for comment Monday, and other officials in the District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the prospect of Ojeda's release.

Defense attorney Ortiz also was unavailable for comment Monday while he worked to put together a bail package for his client. He had previously told reporters that prosecutors obtained the high bail at the time of Ojeda's arrest in early December on fear his client would flee to Mexico.

Sacramento bounty hunter and bail expert Leonard Padilla said in an interview that a suspicion Ojeda might take off for Mexico likely added to the complexity of bonding out the defendant.

"Most sureties are very scared of posting a bond like this because of connections to Mexico and things of that nature," Padilla said.

Citing the example of three Sacramento-area priests who departed for Mexico amid allegations of child molestation, Padilla said "it's just a very risky bond to post. The guy can split and still be a priest in Mexico. Mexico may not extradite him back. There are all sorts of contingency factors."

Paul Scherbenske of Paul's Bail Bonds arrived at the jail about 4 p.m. and said then that he expected to have a bond for Ojeda within the hour.

"The insurance company is looking at everything right now," Scherbenske said.

The priest's supporters remained undaunted by the early evening's bond difficulties. Amid the celebratory atmosphere outside the jail, Sepulveda said "I'm not blind" to the possibility that Ojeda may have committed the acts charged by the D.A.'s office, but that he seriously doubts it.

"There is a possible victim," Sepulveda said. "I just have not seen anything enough for me to believe he would do something like that. Based on my knowing him, I have not seen anything to lead me to believe he would do something like this."

Contact: afurillo@sacbee.com