Sacramento Diocese Catholic Priest Arrested For Lewd Acts With Child

December 1, 2011 5:30 PM

Reporting Maria Medina

Filed under

Breaking News, Local, News, Syndicated Local

Features

Hero Dog Flown To UCD For Treatment

Halloween Guide

Cheerleader Roundup #5

SACRAMENTO (CBS13/AP) — A priest was arrested Wednesday night on charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, according to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento.

Father Uriel Ojeda, 32, was arrested by the Sacramento Police Department at 8 p.m. at police headquarters and booked into the Sacramento County jail.

Ojeda was assigned to Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Redding and prior to that was a priest at Holy Rosary Parish in Woodland until being transferred in the summer of 2009.

Ojeda was one of the “magnificent seven” — the largest number of priests in decades to be ordained at once. The group was credited for rising above the sex scandals that rocked the Catholic church years ago.

“I have personally spoken to the family involved and they are in great pain. … What they have endured has been difficult, and I grieve for what they have suffered and are suffering,” said Bishop Jaime Soto at a noon news conference Thursday in Sacramento. “Yet I also admire the courage with which they have come forward.”

Ojeda is being held in the Sacramento County jail on charges of lewd or lascivious act with a child under 14 and lewd acts on a child under 14 in which the victim was at least 10 years younger than the perpetrator. Bail was set at $5 million, and Ojeda was scheduled to appear in court Friday, according to jail records.

Soto said the family approached the diocese on Tuesday and church officials immediately contacted Child Protective Services and Sacramento police. They drove to Redding on Wednesday, placed Ojeda on paid administrative leave and drove back with him to Sacramento.

“He cannot function as a priest,” Soto said. “He cannot present himself as a priest.”

No charges have been filed yet, said Shelly Orio, spokeswoman for the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office.

The bishop said the diocese wants to encourage any other potential victims to come forward, and it will make announcements in parishes where Ojeda has served in the Woodland and Redding areas.

“Anyone who believes that they have been a victim of Father Ojeda or other abuse needs to contact the diocese,” he said.

“It disheartens all the priests,” Soto said.

Sacramento Diocese Catholic Priest Arrested For Lewd Acts With Child

gna

This is enough to make a religious person turn atheist. . . . .

gohomeroach

It’s the Norm In Mexico, So no shocker here!

termite

Gota give it to the diocese , their out there in the open again only this time to save their necks .. They just changed the Missal , but forgot to change the way priest behave .

jjj

Yet Sacramento Diocese immediately contacted the CPS & Police. There is no excuse to what happened, but it seems to me they’ve learned something from the past mistakes.

termite

I think they did too, like lets get this over with before it cost us millions more. these millions come from the parish ,not from the pockets of the perverts. Time to dump the Nazi Pope and his perverts galore.

tony

Yes, Yes, You right…is a shame….

i

I never watch his show anyway, wasn’t funny.
Home of the perverts: The catholic church

Somethings never change…….
http://romancatholicchurch.inthenewsheadlines.com/6865/sacramento-diocese-catholic-priest-arrested-for-lewd-acts-with-child/catholic-priests-2/ Sacramento Diocese Catholic Priest Arrested For Lewd Acts With Child | Roman Catholic Church

[...] Read the full story about Sacramento Diocese Catholic Priest Arrested For Lewd Acts With Child [...]
Angel

WOW! I would never though he would do something like that!! He was always around us well manner helping everyone out.. I Can’t Believe it! I hope it’s not true….

Tony

HUMMMM..you must start believing…you see people many times just one side of the face, but we all have two faces…no neccessary a bad one, but those things happens often…priest are human..the problem is the church need to change the rules of the business, let them get married with a woman or a man, and then the high risk of abuse for children will be less..IS A SHAME TALKING ABOUT JESUS, MARY, BLA, BLA, BLA,,, and distroying childs life…….shame on them..is true, he himself went to the police to tell them that need to arrest him lol

MARIA

WOW ! WHAT THE WORLD COMMING TO ARE KIDS ARE NOT EVEN SAFE IN CHURCH NOW THATS SAD
some body

…kids, or anyone for that matter, were never safe in church.
Some People!

this is why i don’t believe, all you need in life is to know your a good person, i don’t need to go to church to know that! i have seen more ” church people” do horrible things than anyone else! Sick!
bworra

Once you open the can of perverts they come out in droves. Thank God some of the victims are coming forward. It’s hard to believe how many children are molested in this counrty. These lowest of low predaters are every where and need to be put to death. What on this earth is worse than hurting a defensless child? NOTHING!!!!
rmcsticks

close the churches and ship all the perv prest to an Island to die…..hey it’s your god not mine !
Yaqui Indian

Que el VATICANO les de permiso de casarse. Porque hasta miedo da mandar nuestras hijas al catesismo. Es por eso que el CATOLISISMO esta perdiendo a sus feligreses. Por favor hagan una REFORMA en el VATICANO.

rmcsticks

I hear what your saying ! he is a POS and he should have his balls riped off with plyers… along with anybody that stands with him….
Tony

catecismo es co Co con S, catolicismo lo mismo con C no S..BUENO TODOS USTEDES CATOLICOS DEBEN HACER UNA PROTESTA PARA QUE CAMBIEN LAS REGLAS DE LA IGLESIA..MIREN LO THE WALL STREET …!!!! SI LA GENTE NO DICE NADA, LOS OBISPOS NO HACEN NADA..DEJEN DE DARLES DINERO Y VERAN COMO CAMBIAN LAS REGLAS DEL NEGOCIO…..UNA PENA QUE NI EN LA IGLESIA LOS NINOS ESTAN SEGUROS….YA HAY MAS SEGURIDAD EN LA CALLE QUE EN LA IGLESIA…

rmcsticks

calm down and take the cap lock off

Beatriz

cuando los padres se casen dejare de creer en ellos….porque a mi no me van a venir a hablarme de Dios cuando la noche anterior la pasaron teniendo sexo con su esposa…..que asco!

ME

Quien dijo que debes de “creer” en ellos??? Eso es una estupides, solo debes de creer en Dios. Y prefiero ir a misa a eschuchar la palabra de dios sabiendo que estuvieron la noche anterior teniendo sexo con su esposa que pensar que andan de marranos haciendoles cosas a ninos inocentes!!!!!! Todo humano es pecador pero como que los padres se pasan, por eso no creo en la confesion, porque voy a contarle mis pecados a otro pecador? Prefiero hacerlo yo misma, you me confieso con dios todos los dias no ocupo de un intermediado. Es por gente como tu que la religion esta como esta! Que asco!

URFULOFIT

But if he gets out he can become a republican senator. He’ll be accepted immediately.

Carol

You made my day but no matter what he becomes when he gets out and he will get out he will do it again and again.

Carol

This is beyond horrible but this will go on and on as long as the prarents allow their children to alone with these priests of which should never ever happen.

They depend on these men to be honest and would never hurt their children but you can’t trust anybody and I mean anybody with your child sad but true.

Beatriz

Great point! NEVER EVER TRUST ANYONE WITH YOUR CHILD! PERIOD!

Beatriz

Let’s face it, them young ones are really a huge temptation….the way they dress, the way they look and the flirtatious behavior they exhibit especially to a handsome young priest. Having said that, I don’t doubt he is guilty of what he is accused…I’ve seen him around kids and he is good with them…but I always suspected there was something more about him I could not pin-point….I wondered why such a handsome man would want to be a priest instead of living a normal life with plenty of good looking women to choose from…..and now this……hmmmm

Me

It doesn’t matter how they dress or how much they flirt..he’s in a position to demand that they respect him and his devotion…but apparently he wasn’t devoted enough.

Killshot

It’s interesting that if he was not a priest, he would have been immediately arrested after the first crime. But, because he is, he was “transferred” to another church. I find it very disturbing that, first he even has supporters, and secondly that they are justifying his behavior. One supporter had said “we are praying for him through these hard times and hope he gets through this.” Really? Again, forget about the victim of this horrific crime. Let’s worry more about the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Unbelievable!! Did you know that of all of the liability insurance policies sold to businesses today, a liability insurance policy for churches or religious associations automatically has an exclusion for molestation. No other industry has this type of claims history. Hmmmm.
Melanie Jula Sakoda

We hope the courage of the brave survivor in this case will inspire more victims and witnesses to find the strength to call law enforcement. Don’t suffer alone and in silence!

Melanie Jula Sakoda
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)
SNAP East Bay Director
Toll Free Phone: 1-877-SNAPHEALS (1-877-762-7432)
melanie.sakoda@gmail.com
925-708-6175
Lucero Lepe

This is not True, stupid people just looking for excuses not to go to church.. if only they knew how father Uriel really was.. He is Innocent!!! If the “molestings ” were true, why talk now and not when it “happened” on “2009″??!!! I personally knew father Uriel and he is not like that, many others would agree with me.. People shouldnt judge without really knowing the person..