Rancho Cucamonga: Priest Will Serve No Additional Time for Probation Violation
By David Olson
An Ontario priest who served eight months for child molestation will not face additional jail time for violating his probation. The Rev. Alejandro "Alex" Jose Castillo was scheduled to be released late Wednesday, May 23, after spending two weeks in custody for the probation violation. San Bernardino County probation officers arrested him May 9 for attending an April 22 party at which children were present. Under an agreement Castillo's attorney, Michael Scafiddi, reached with the San Bernardino County district attorney's office, the priest was sentenced to time already served. San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Stephen Saleson on Wednesday asked Castillo if he acknowledged violating the terms of his probation, which prohibit him from associating with males under 18 and frequenting places where minors of either gender congregate. "Yes," Castillo responded in almost a whisper as he sat in the Rancho Cucamonga courtroom. The priest wore dark-green jail clothes and his left arm was in a sling, the result of an April automobile accident. Saleson warned Castillo to closely adhere to his probation terms and to report to his probation officer on Thursday. "Further violations will be dealt with in a very harsh manner," Saleson said. Castillo could face as long as eight years in prison for serious probation violations. The party celebrated Castillo's birthday and his release the previous day from the eight-month jail term. The priest was convicted last year in the 2008 sexual abuse of a then-12-year-old boy who was a parishioner at Ontario's Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, where Castillo was pastor. Karen Schmauss, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted Castillo, said evidence indicates the party was a surprise and that the priest didn't know children would be there. "It wasn't an intentional act to put him in the presence of children," Schmauss said. "What he should have done was get up and leave." Scafiddi said Castillo was told he was being treated to lunch and didn't know his supporters were throwing a party for him. Castillo did not talk to or touch the children who were at the party, he said. "He didn't want to insult the guests and leave," Scafiddi said. A supporter of Castillo said as many as 150 people were at the party. The Vatican is still reviewing whether to strip Castillo of his priesthood. Bishop Gerald Barnes, of the Diocese of San Bernardino, has permanently barred Castillo from performing public ministry within the diocese. The state's Megan's law website — which lists registered sex offenders — shows that Castillo lives in Ontario, less than two miles from Our Lady of Guadalupe. Barbara Dorris, outreach director for Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said Castillo's residence near where he served as a priest puts children at risk. "He's living in a community he knows, with people he knows, and he has access to their children," Dorris said. Contact: dolson@pe.com
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