LA County Catholic priest faces child sexual abuse charges
A Catholic priest from Downey remains in custody after Los Angeles County prosecutors charged him with several counts of child sexual abuse on Monday.
Jaime Arriaga, 41, was remanded without bail after pleading not guilty to six felony counts related to the case. Most of the charges from the alleged sexual abuse happened in early February, according to court records. However, prosecutors also charged him with an assault that allegedly happened more than a month later on March 22.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said Arriaga started presiding at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in January 2024 as a transitional deacon before being ordained as a priest six months later. The archdiocese added that it learned about the allegations on April 2. It immediately dismissed Arriaga from the ministry and reported the case to investigators.
Arriaga surrendered himself to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department the following day, according to the archdiocese.
"The Archdiocese has a long-standing commitment to the protection of minors and the reporting and prevention of abuse. Allegations of misconduct against anyone serving in the Archdiocese are reported to law enforcement, fully investigated and, under the Zero-Tolerance Policy, anyone who is found to have harmed a minor is permanently removed from any capacity in the Archdiocese," officials said in a statement.
Last October, the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
agreed to pay $880 million to settle sex abuse claims made by more than 1,300 alleged victims dating back to the 1940s.
The settlement brings the overall amount the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has paid out to settle sex abuse lawsuits to nearly $1.5 billion, following a $660 million settlement with about 500 alleged victims in 2007.
"We encourage anyone who may have experienced any misconduct involving Fr. Arriaga to please contact law enforcement and the Office of Victims Assistance Ministry at (213) 637-7650 or toll-free number (800)-355-2545. We offer our prayers for everyone impacted by this matter," the archdiocese said in a statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Authorities looking for 3-year-old girl believed to be taken by grandmother
The Wayne County Sheriff's Office is requesting the public's help in locating a 3-year-old girl. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Authorities believe 3-year-old Ariana Mullin was taken by her maternal grandmother, 66-year-old Anna Mullin. She was last seen on June 4 and her current whereabouts are unknown, according to a spokesperson with the sheriff's office. Ariana is 3 feet tall, she weighs 40 pounds, has red hair and blue eyes. Anna is 5 feet and 5 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds, has brown hair and wears glasses. TRENDING STORIES: Brand new aviation video shows man throwing wood at deputies, causing wrong-way crash on I-75 37-year-old woman dies from injuries after head-on crash 'Long and difficult process,' Pastor speaks on restoration efforts after fire at Catholic church The woman is believed to be driving a maroon Ford F-150 pickup truck with Indiana license plate CG3920. The spokesperson said the sheriff's office is investigating a case involving the unlawful withholding of the child from her legal custodial parent. The situation stems from a court-ordered custody arrangement where Ariana was supposed to be turned over her custodial parent, but that hasn't happened. Anyone with information on Ariana or Anna's whereabouts is asked to contact the Wayne County Sheriff's Office at (765) 973-9355 or notify their local law enforcement agency. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Documents: Former St. Xavier employee who had sex with student 'groomed other children'
By October 2024, rumors that the administrator who headed St. Xavier High School's learning center was having sex with a student had reached the school's principal. It was staff members who reported the rumors about Emily Nutley, the coordinator of a program that helps students with learning problems, to the principal at the all-boys Catholic high school, according to newly filed court documents. On Oct. 7, 2024, the boy's mother contacted the dean of students, saying that the teen "opened up … to his parents about what had occurred." The next day, a Monday, the teen met with school administrators and said that Nutley − who was 42 and married with children − had constantly texted him, sent him nude photos of herself and had at least four sexual encounters with him. He was 17 when the encounters happened in late 2023. When the teen tried to break up with Nutley, "she threatened to kill herself," according to the documents. Nutley paid him to stay quiet, the documents say. The school announced on Oct. 11, 2024 that Nutley had been fired after an internal investigation. Three weeks later, she was indicted on multiple charges. In April of this year, she pleaded guilty to sexual battery. On Tuesday, June 10, Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Branch will decide whether to send Nutley to prison. Although Nutley faces 10 years, under Ohio law, a prison term is not mandatory. In a sentencing memorandum filed Monday, June 9, prosecutors listed multiple local cases involving school employees who were sent to prison for sexual relationships with students. Among them: In 2013, a Colerain High School science teacher, Julie Hautzenroeder, was sentenced to two years in prison for sexual battery. In 2014, a special education teacher and intervention specialist at Dater High School, Michael Johnson, was sentenced to three years in prison for sexual battery. In 2015, Justin Madden, a teacher at New Miami High School in Butler County who had sex with a student and sent sexually explicit messages to another, was sentenced to three years in prison. The sentencing memorandum points out that there is evidence "Nutley groomed other children" in the same way she did with the 17-year-old. The teen, his parents as well as St. Xavier High School officials want Branch to sentence Nutley to 10 years. Based on a comparative analysis of similar cases, prosecutors are seeking a five-year sentence. According to the sentencing memorandum, Nutley has not shown remorse. In an interview with law enforcement, Nutley "completely blamed the victim," saying that the teen "had her thinking (the sexual relationship) was OK." She also said the 17-year-old "always initiated things" and that she believed that Ohio's age of consent law meant that she would not face criminal charges. The memorandum says text messages show that it was Nutley who initiated the sexual relationship. On Nov. 13, 2023, Nutley told the teen that he was "cute." Days later, the teen told her he had never had sex, and she responded that everything was going to be great. A day after they apparently kissed in her school office, according to the memorandum, Nutley texted the teen: "Today would have been a good couch day ... just sayin'." In the weeks after that kiss, the memorandum says Nutley sent the teen several "explicit, naked" photos of herself and messages describing sex acts "that she intended to perform on" the teen. It says Nutley texted him at least nine nude photos and requested photos from him. Assistant Prosecutor Elyse Deters said in the memorandum that the power dynamic between a 42-year-old school employee tasked with helping at-risk students and a 17-year-old boy who went to her for help meant that Nutley should carry all the blame. "Everything that happened to (the) victim is 100% Nutley's fault − and she should have to deal with the consequences of it," Deters said. "Like most pedophiles, Nutley preyed on the most defenseless person she could find, and (he) will pay the price for the rest of his life," Deters said, adding: "Any sentence that does not include a period of incarceration … would demean the seriousness of these offenses on the children of our community." A separate sentencing memorandum filed by Nutley's attorney, Joe Suhre, describes her as a "broken woman" who is plagued by both mental illness and alcohol abuse that led to periods of blackouts and "a pattern of losing control while drinking." She is also a survivor of sexual abuse, he said. Suhre is asking Branch to impose a sentence of probation. A psychologist who has been treating Nutley found that her behavior "was not rooted in deviance but in maladaptive coping mechanisms tied to unresolved trauma," Suhre said. When the crimes happened, she was at the "peak of depression," grieving the death of her brother, managing the dissolution of her marriage "and juggling the demands of full-time work and caring for her family." Suhre said Nutley requires treatment, not incarceration. Since April, she has been in a program for people convicted of sexually harmful and problematic behaviors. She is on track to complete that program in 2027. Suhre pointed out that Nutley's conviction had ended her career in education. Her marriage also has ended. And her relationships with her three children "have been severely damaged," Suhre said. At St. Xavier, Nutley was praised for her leadership, student-first philosophy and dedication to inclusive academic support, Suhre said. "Her removal from the field is not only a personal loss, but a loss to the entire educational community," he said. In a letter to Branch, Nutley said that what she did "makes me sick with shame." She also expressed fear that a prison sentence would irreparably sever her bond with her children. "I think every day about the impact of my actions − not just on the victim, but on his family, friends and the entire St. X community," Nutley wrote. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Documents: Ex-St. Xavier employee in student sex case 'groomed' others
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently served in the US abducted by extremists, church says
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian Catholic priest who recently served in the United States has been abducted by extremists along with other travelers in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, the church said. The Rev. Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped on June 1 near the northeastern town of Gwoza, close to the border with Cameroon, by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, Bishop John Bogna Bakeni of Maiduguri told The Associated Press on Sunday. Bakeni said that he spoke with the priest over the phone a day after the abduction. Afina, though exhausted from trekking, was 'sounding OK' and 'in good spirits' during the brief conversation, according to the bishop. The priest was traveling from the city of Mubi, where he is based, to Maidiguri, the capital of Borno, for a workshop when his convoy was ambushed by armed men while waiting for clearance at a military checkpoint, he said. A rocket-propelled grenade hit one of the vehicles, killing one person and wounding others, according to the bishop. Bakeni said it was difficult to determine if the priest was specifically targeted, given the number of travelers caught in the ambush. Other travelers were also abducted, he said, although it was unclear how many. Nigerian authorities haven't publicly commented on the abductions and didn't respond to requests for comment. Rev. Robert Fath, the vicar general of the diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, told the Anchorage Daily News on Thursday that he had received a phone call from Boko Haram confirming they had Afina. Afina served in Alaska from 2017 to 2024 before returning to Nigeria, where he works with the Justice, Development and Peace Commission, a Catholic social justice group. Nigerian authorities are struggling to stem rising violence in the north and central regions where armed groups, including Boko Haram, target rural communities, killing thousands and abducting people to ransom. The attacks sometimes target religious figures such as clerics. In March, a priest in central Nigeria was kidnapped and killed by unidentified armed men. Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbors and resulted in the death of around 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million others, according to the United Nations. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
