Priest Likely Headed to Trial

The Record
July 16, 2013

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130716/A_NEWS/130719928/-1/A_NEWS02

A Colombian priest who was arrested in Lodi in connection with a Yuba City sexual molestation case is likely headed to a jury trial.

Jose Guarin-Sosa will appear in Sutter County Superior Court on Aug. 16 for a trial readiness conference, according to the court's calendar.

Guarin-Sosa, 43, was arrested by Yuba City police officers at St. Anne's Parish in Lodi in March, after it was alleged he molested a 17-year-old girl at a private Mass inside a residence in Yuba City.

Guarin-Sosa, a visiting Colombian priest, faces allegations that he touched the girl in a private area against her will and that he molested a person younger than 18, according to court files. Both counts are misdemeanor charges.

The Diocese of Stockton said in March that it acquired a letter of good standing for Guarin-Sosa before allowing him to work at St. Anne's. His permission to work for them was revoked after he was arrested.

The diocese said the priest worked for only "two or three" weeks in Lodi, delivering sermons and liturgies, and did not have isolated contact with children.