Archdiocese of OKC Circulates Davila’s Expungement Record, Misleads Press/parishioners

By Joelle Casteix
Worthy Adversary
April 25, 2016

http://theworthyadversary.com/4223-archdiocese-of-okc-circulates-davilas-expungement-record

In an attempt to mislead parishioners and the public and clear them of wrongdoing in hiring a priest who plead guilty to a sexual offense, the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is circulating the priest’s “expungement document.”

In this document, Fr. Jose Alexis Davila’s record of unlawful sexual touching is expunged. It is dated in 2015, after Davila should have completed the terms of his three-year probation.

What is an expungement?

An expungement document gives a person convicted of a crime a “fresh start.” It allows a person who was punished for an offense to tell prospective employers that they have not been convicted of a crime.

It is NOT a “Certificate of actual innocence,” which is a document stating that the actual crime didn’t happen.

Usually, a certificate of expungement is a part of a plea agreement: offender agrees to plead guilty, avoids trial, and is granted an expungement after probation is served.

Why is this expungement irrelevant?

This expungement is irrelevant because Davila is a priest who works with children and vulnerable adults. He is not an accountant, a warehouse worker, or a plumber.

As a priest, Davila should not only be held to a higher standard, but he is also subject to ZERO TOLERANCE and promised by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He plead guilty to a sex crime. He should not work in a parish. Period.

Remember what prosecutors said he did:

Skeels told Commissioner Corinne Miesfeld that the defendant is accused of touching the victim in three areas against her will on Dec. 30. He touched her buttocks, put his finger in her vagina and touched her left breast, the prosecutor alleged.

Police said the alleged assault happened at Davila’s home in Southcrest while the two were alone. The defendant turned himself in two days later.