CALIFORNIA
Modesto Bee
BY ROB PARSONS
rparsons@mercedsunstar.com
August 19, 2014
A Los Banos Catholic priest under investigation for possible sex crimes involving a teenager has been moved to an undisclosed location where there are no children present, a Catholic church official said Tuesday.
The Rev. Robert E. Gamel was placed on paid administrative leave early Friday, the morning after allegations surfaced involving a teenage church member, said Teresa Dominguez, chancellor for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno.
“There was no way we could’ve acted any sooner on the information,” Dominguez told the Merced Sun-Star in a telephone interview.
Gamel, 64, has not been arrested or formally accused of any wrongdoing by law enforcement, the Los Banos Police Department said Tuesday. “The detectives are still continuing their investigation,” Cmdr. Jason Hedden said, “and we’re still hoping for anyone from the public with information to come forward.”
The Rev. Joe Baca has been appointed interim administrator of the Los Banos parish for an indefinite period of time.
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