Los Angeles Priest Arrested On Child Rape Charge

Los Angeles’s NBC affiliate reports:

A Catholic priest serving at a church in Downey was arrested after being accused of raping a minor, LA County records showed Tuesday. Fr. Jaime Arriaga, 41, was removed from ministry at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Downey after the allegation surfaced, the LA Archdiocese confirmed Tuesday.

“The archdiocese has a long-standing commitment to the protection of minors and the reporting and prevention of abuse, ” the archdiocese said in a statement, adding that it reported Arriaga to law enforcement. The priest eventually surrendered to authorities.

The archdiocese, which reached a $880 million settlement over 1,354 child sexual abuse claims last October, said under its “zero-tolerance policy,” anyone who is “found to have harmed a minor” is permanently removed from his or her job.

Read the full article. No details about the alleged victim. Arriaga remains in custody pending a bond hearing. Parishioners are interviewed in the report below.