Priest arrested for alleged sexual abuse of 12-year-old boy

An Ontario priest has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy, police said Tuesday.

Jose Alejandro Castillo, 57, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Ontario and known as "Father Alex" to parishioners, was arrested Monday at 3:30 p.m. at his Ontario home.

After a three-month investigation, Ontario police say they confirmed inappropriate sexual contact by Castillo, with eight separate acts committed against the boy over a three-month period in 2008, said Sgt. David McBride.

The San Bernardino County district attorney’s office issued an arrest warrant charging Castillo with eight counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child younger than 14.

Castillo was removed from active ministry in June after he was accused, by relatives of the victims, of molesting two adolescent boys. The Diocese of San Bernardino took it to police, and the allegations were made public nearly three months later in a letter read at weekend Mass at the four churches where he had served.

"This is obviously a very sad day for our diocese and especially for the good people of our Lady of Guadalupe parish," said Diocese of San Bernardino spokesman John Andrews. "We take a moment to express our sorrow and our regret to all victims of abuse in our church and in our society; this issue is a very terrible thing."

Police determined there were three other victims -- a 16-year-old boy at Our Lady of Guadalupe and two adults at other parishes -- but declined to file charges because the statute of limitations for the crimes had expired.

Detectives also are investigating another alleged incident between Castillo and a 14-year-old boy while the priest was serving at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

Castillo is being held on $1-million bail and could face up to 22 years in prison if convicted, police said.

A member of the diocese since 1988, Castillo has worked at Our Lady of Guadalupe since 2003 and was named pastor in 2006.

He also has worked at St. Anthony in San Bernardino (1988-1989), St. Catherine of Siena in Rialto (2000-2003) and St. George in Ontario (2006-2008).

Before that, he worked for several years at the California Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s Catholics on legislative and social issues.

Investigators suspect there may be other victims and urge anyone with more information to contact Ontario Police Det. Mark Guski at (909) 395-2726.

-- Tony Barboza

Photo: Jose Alejandro Castillo. Credit: Ontario Police Department

Comments

[BatGuano]

Unless the Constitution has changed recently, I don't believe a district attorney can issue an arrest warrant; warrants are issued by judges, not district attorneys. DA's apply to a court for warrant. A small but important distinction.

[Ray]

Do a background check on all these priests!

[freddy please]

Are there any priests left that don't molest??

[SgtJohnMStryker]

OK... Now where does Cardinal Mahoney stand on this issue? I bet he knew of his subordinate's past conduct and behavior and personally hid the pastor's activities from the parish and public. Thank God he has retired......... I hope as a Catholic he is sought out (when he dies) by the Demon's from Hell as a Spritual leader.......

[Rafa]

In virtually any other establishment but the church, the magnitude of these criminal acts would certainly bring down the leadership. But the Pope and the Vatican continue to essentially validate this activity through their lack of action. This has been so prevelant and sustained that no reasonable mind could possibly conclude that these are isolated incidents or abberations. Certainly this would lead one to believe that the most prolific criminal enterprise in Italy is not the Mafia, but the Vatican.

[kgoddess]

Looks like the Catholic church STILL hasn't cleaned up its act.

[bettye198]

This is not new information. I remember back in the sixties when my little sister tried to tell my parents that the Monseignor was giving laviscious looks her way. But now, we worry about the little boys. I have a heart sickness that will not go away when I hear of a holier than thou clergy taking sexual advantage of our young. It boils my blood. That this travesty is not being "managed". Send the priest away. Right. I remember as a young nurse applying for a position in a well known Catholic University run by the Jesuits. I was told by other nurses to evaluate my own stance on homosexuality bc it is rampant. I was shocked then and am fed up now.

My only salient point remains. Hispanic parents of your young boys please do not send your children away to "camps" or "schools" run by priests. We know of one that is suspect: Gonzaga.

[DPierre]

Contemporaneous allegations against a priest are actually quite RARE. (News reports are almost always about decades-old allegations that are almost impossible to prove. In addition, there were only SIX contemporaneous allegations against priests in all of the United States in 2009.)

After all the news over the last two decades, this story is shocking.

Prayers and justice for the victims, please!

-

[blackone]

They are not going to stop molesting children.
Because of the church culture that they will rape and have sex with children.
It is time for parents to make their decision. WILL you continue to sacrifice your children to these sexually infantile men? WILL you continue to sacrifice your children to these sexually infantile men?

[pablo]

First off, shame on every single one of you two-faced, would be Christians and overall ignorant readers. Injustice is Injustice, but it is found in every part of the world, NOT just the Catholic Church, and the Diocese has done everything to make the public aware and not deny what this priest has allegedly done. And the Pope has even declared a ZERO TOLERANCE policy regarding sexual abuse by members of the clergy. YES, sexual abuse by members of the Catholic Church has been confirmed in many cases, but did you idiots actually know that 68% of child abuse AND sexual abuse for that matter is committed by parents??? Why don't we all start a campaign that says "Check all the Parents!" or "Are there any parents left that don't molest?" And it's not just the Catholic church! What about all those Pastors from other churches?

Second, BatGuano is right! A DA cannot issue an arrest warrant! I would question if this warrant is actually legitimate, but did anyone else catch that? NO! And this blog clearly said "Ontario police SAY they confirmed inappropriate sexual contact by Castillo", key word being SAY. There still hasn't been a trial and guess what: this man is innocent until proven guilty. So until that judge declares him guilty, this arrest is just protocol.

Third and, in my opinion, most important, these victims are all teens OR adults! They're not little kids! Where is the personal responsibility and prudence? Why don't you ever criticize that? Believe me, I sympathize with victims and I would see this man brought to justice if he's actually guilty. But if he's innocent, then all the shame goes to those "victims".

The Catholic Church is tainted with a lot of bad history and some of it has been denied, concealed, or delayed to the public. Light continues to shine into all that darkness and, God willing, let it continue. But do yourself a favor and read ALL the history and stop being a stupid American; the type that selectively chooses, misjudges, and hates what he or she does not fully understand. The Church has also been responsible for massive soup kitchens for the poor, HUGE donations to all charities and causes, hospitals, schools, missionary work, community service, and the list goes on.

You people make me sick. Shame on every one of you. Oh yeah and one more thing:

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"...I don't need to remind you where that comes from.

[Hmph]

Wow. These disgusting predators are still at it, eh?

Hey Cardinal Mahoney, are you going to make excuses for this one too? And fight like heck to make sure he stays out of jail and his prior misdeeds are buried...like you always do?

And parents, are you getting it yet that you can never, EVER, trust your children to be alone with these people?!?

[Hmph]

Way to "drink the Kool-Aid", Pablo. This is clearly a well-documented, systemic problem in the organization, and time and time again they fight like hell to conceal what's going on. Does the church do good work? Sure. But how to explain that they appear to do NOTHING to get a hold of this huge problem that plagues their ranks, and taints (correctly) the entire Catholic Church? Why all the cover ups, and "parish shifting"? Think it's a coincidence this guy's bounced around 4 places?

You go ahead and send your child on an overnight "retreat" with Father So-And-So. I'm sure they'll be fine. Oh, and if they're teenagers, they're old enough to get themselves away from manipulative predators, right?

By the way, cases of pedophile priests have been reported in Canada, Ireland (just a few months ago), the UK, Mexico, Belgium, France and Germany, to name a few. So much for us "stupid Americans" jumping to conclusions, eh? Who should "read ALL the history"?!?

[henry1968]

Pablo:
Yes, kids are abused by all kinds of people. But this article is about abuse by a priest. Hence, comments are regarding priests. When Catholics say "It's not just the church," it strikes me as a defensive and illogical comment. I have never heard ANYONE indicate that the problem is only in the church. And the fact that it exists elsewhere does not excuse or lessen the harm done by clergy.

Recent studies indicate that 10% of priests have been credibly accused of abuse. This is not "several" priests. The cover-up extends to the leadership. It is a systematic problem in the church. The pope may say the right things, but his actions show that he still doesn't get it. (Cardinal Bernard Law being just one example. If the pope really had "zero tolerance," Law would be defrocked, not given a respected position.)

The police say this is a legitimate charge and they confirmed the abuse took place. Yet you doubt it. What more do you want? Yes, the trial has to take place and the man is innocent until proven guilty. But there is no reason to suspect this is a false claim.

The victim in this case was 12! Not an adult, not a teen. And teens and adults can be sexually assaulted. It has nothing to do with "personal responibility." Talk about blaming the victim. You say you sympathize with victims, but it is clear you do not. The "shame" belongs only to the perpetrators and those church leaders who allowed priests to rape and abuse. As a clergy sexual assault victim myself, I find nothing sympathetic in your comments.

Yes, the church does much good. But that does not take away from the evil also done.

I find it interesting that you criticize others for their words, yet you call them names. How "Christian" is that? You are "throwing stones" even as you preach to others. Your hypocrisy is amazing.

[Tea Party Patriot]

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

[Tea Party Patriot]

Mat 23:15 Yes, how terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn him into twice the son of hell as you yourselves are.