A Roman Catholic priest faced five felony charges and was evacuated from his Downey parish after being arrested by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy, records and officials said.
Father Jaime Arriaga, 41, had no right to bail Los Angeles County Men's Central Prison without pleading guilty Monday, with the intention to commit felony and four felony counts and lewd and lustful acts against one person for at least a decade, court records show.
“The Archdiocese has a long-term commitment to the protection of minors and reports on preventing abuse,” the Archdiocese said in a statement.
Arriaga was also entrusted by Jaime Arriaga Pedroza, who was surrendered to deputies last Thursday and was arrested for allegedly assaulting a minor for sexual offences. According to the charges, an alleged lewd bill occurred on February 8 and on February 9, with the assault with the intention of committing a felony, involving minors involved in sexual offences.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Captain Eric King said the allegations involved one victim, but Special Victim Unit detectives are looking for other potential victims.
The sexual abuse scandal of clergy has shocked the Catholic Church worldwide, but few places have seen financial losses in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
In October last year, the Archdiocese agreed to a record $880 million civil settlement with victims, bringing spending in the largest diocese of the United States to more than $1.5 billion. There are now nearly 2,500 people who claim to be abused. According to the survivor network of people abused by pastors, the list of priests abused by the Archdiocese includes more than 500 names. But new allegations have become rare after a massive scandal revealed decades of cover-up.
According to the Archdiocese, Arriaga was appointed in June 2024 and served as associate pastor in Downey’s permanent help.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles issued a statement saying it received a report accusing April 2 misconduct. Arriaga was removed from office and surrendered to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies the next day.
In a statement last weekend, in St. Louis of La Puente, the Permanent Help of Our Lady and St. Louis of La Puente, read last weekend that Arriaga served there before being appointed – the Archdiocese informed the parishioners that the pastor “has been removed from work due to recent reports of sexual misconduct involving minors.”
Diocese residents were told that the Archdiocese was working with law enforcement. A link to the profile of the priest (including his photos) has been removed from the Archdiocese website.
Arraiga is a native of Tenancingo, Tlaxcala, Mexico, according to information previously released by the Archdiocese.
