Former Santa Paula priest accused of molesting two girls

By Tom Kisken
Ventura County Star
September 19, 2014

http://www.vcstar.com/news/local-news/county-news/former-santa-paula-priest-accused-of-molesting-two-girls_00508020

A lawsuit filed Thursday accuses a former Santa Paula priest of molestation and alleges the Archdiocese of Los Angeles used Our Lady Of Guadalupe Church in Santa Paula as a dumping ground for clergy accused of sexual acts involving children.

The lawsuit also alleges the archdiocese and the Franciscan Friars conspired to hide the Rev. Robert Peguero Hernandez in Mexico, where he is still in ministry.

Contacted at the Holy Trinidad Parish in Zapotlanejo, Mexico, Hernandez said he was unaware of the lawsuit and denied the allegations.

“Absolutely nothing happened,” he said.

The lawsuit alleges Hernandez — also referred to as Roberto Peguero — was a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Saint Barbara Province assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe, where he lived from 1978 to 1992. The lawsuit is filed by two women — identified as Jane DM Doe and Jane LF Doe — who allege they were repeatedly molested by the priest as girls.