CALIFORNIA
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento
Father Hector Coria, a priest of the Diocese of Sacramento serving since July 1, 2012 as parochial vicar of St. James Parish in Davis, was arrested May 9 by Davis police on suspicion of statutory rape and oral copulation with a minor.
Police began investigating the sexual abuse charges against Father Coria, 45, earlier this month, according to a spokesman for the Davis Police Department. Father Coria allegedly befriended the 17-year-old female victim in late 2013, police said.
“In late 2013, Father Coria began a sexual relationship with the minor and engaged in that sexual relationship on multiple occasions since 2013,” a department news release said.
On May 9, Davis police served search warrants at multiple locations and subsequently arrested Father Coria. He was booked into Yolo County Jail on May 9 but was released on bail as of the evening of May 10, according to a jail spokeswoman. He is expected to be arraigned next month in Yolo Superior Court.
The following statement was released May 10 by Kevin Eckery, spokesman for the Diocese of Sacramento, concerning the arrest of Father Coria:
“Father Hector Coria, a priest at St. James Parish in Davis, has been arrested for alleged sexual misconduct by a minor by the City of Davis Police Department.
“In keeping with diocesan policy, Father Coria has been placed on administrative leave, his faculties have been withdrawn and he may no longer function as a priest while this matter is under investigation by local law enforcement and Davis Police.
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