Woodburn Priest Denied Bail

KOIN
August 20, 2012

http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/Priest-denied-bail-Archdiocese-will-pay-for-defen/VULKAT4oREysUHrjUf8RNg.cspx

A Catholic priest in Woodburn was arrested on child sex abuse charges Monday. Aug. 14, 2012. (Marion County Sheriff's Office)

A local Catholic pastor accused of sex abuse has been denied bail.

On Monday Father Angel Perez -- who was expecting a release hearing -- learned he'll stay in jail until his trial. He's expected to have a preliminary hearing Wednesday, followed by an arraignment Aug. 27.

Perez is listed as a pastor of Saint Luke Catholic Church in Woodburn, Ore.; he is accused of sexually abusing a boy from a church party.

What's happened so far?

The 46-year-old pleaded "not guilty" in Marion County Court Aug. 14 to one count each of first-degree sex abuse, using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct and furnishing alcohol to a minor.

The charges come after a 12-year-old boy told police that Perez touched and took pictures of him during a sleep-over at Perez's home. The boy says he ran away from the house to get help from his family.

Perez has worked with the Archdiocese of Portland for 16 years. The Portland Archdiocese has placed Perez on paid administrative leave, and are helping to pay for his defense team.

After bail was denied Monday, the president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sent KOIN a statement. It reads, in part:

"[W]e beg each person with knowledge of or suspicions about Fr. Perez ... to contact police and prosecutors immediately. We can't be complacent and assume justice will be done. We must all do our part to make sure justice is done."

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, is a support group for clergy abuse victims -- and claims more than 10,000 members.

"Despite the word 'priest' in our title," the SNAP statement read, "we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers."

According to documents filed by Woodburn police, Perez gave the boy a beer and they watched a movie before falling asleep on an air mattress in Perez’s living room. The victim told police he awoke early Monday morning to find Perez naked from the waist down -- touching the victim's genitals and snapping pictures with a cell phone.

The affidavit says that the boy got up and fled the house. While running down the street, the affidavit said, the boy turned around to see Perez chasing him in his underwear.