MISSISSIPPI
WDAM
By Eddie Robertson, Reporter
By Amanda LaBrot, Reporter
JONES COUNTY, MS (WDAM) –
A former Jones County priest is behind bars for allegedly sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy.
“Now you see here a priest, a man of the cloth, has violated a young child,” Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge said. “We know for a fact that the 12-year-old boy, on two different occasions that we know of, was engaged in a sexual act with this man. You think ‘Well how did that happen?’ You’ve got a grown man who’s influenced this 12-year-old kid to allow the priest to perform sexual acts on him. Sick.”
Sheriff Hodge said 36-year-old Jose Vazquez was charged with two counts of sexual battery of a minor, and had his bond set at $100,000 cash bond due to him being a flight risk.
“He just recently returned from Mexico,” Hodge said. “Certainly have no reason to think that he wouldn’t go back, so thankful for a $100,000 cash bond. Obviously you think, ‘well it needs to be higher,’ but we have to stay within the parameters of the law.”
According to the Diocese of Biloxi, Vazquez has worked as the pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Wiggins and St. Lucy Mission in Lucedale since Jan. 15, 2014. He was the parochial vicar or associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Laurel about four years ago, according to Sheriff Hodge, and has also worked at Sacred Heart Parish in Hattiesburg.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.