Inland: Priest Denies Violating Probation

By David Olson
Press Enterprise
May 14, 2012

http://www.pe.com/local-news/breaking-news-headlines/20120514-inland-priest-denies-violating-probation.ece

The Rev. Alejandro "Alex" Jose Castillo

An Ontario priest released last month from jail after serving time for child molestation has denied that he violated his probation agreement.

The San Bernardino County Probation Department alleges that on April 22 the Rev. Alejandro “Alex” Jose Castillo attended a party at which children were present. The party was in honor of his birthday and his release from jail the day before, according to a supporter of Castillo.

Castillo’s probation terms bar him from associating with males younger than 18 or frequenting places where minors of either gender congregate without the presence of an adult approved by the probation department.

On Monday morning, May 14, Castillo denied he had violated the probation agreement, said Christopher Lee, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office.

Castillo will next be in court Wednesday, May 23. The probation department is expected to present a report detailing his alleged probation violation, and Castillo may answer charges against him, Lee said.

Castillo was convicted last year of molesting a 12-year-old boy who attended his parish. He served fewer than eight months in jail.

Castillo was arrested May 9 for violating his probation and is in West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga with no bail. If found guilty of violating his probation, he could spend up to eight years in prison, probation department spokesman Chris Condon said.