“He was a very good priest, very kind, very trustworthy,” said an Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioner who asked that his name not be used. “This is just horrible, a betrayal,” although rumors about the priest had started when he left the parish.The alleged victims were 13 to 17 years old and 14 to 17 years old during the time that the molestations took place, mostly in their own home.Rodriguez had been arrested before but previous molestation charges stemming from his tenure at St. Vincent de Paul in downtown Los Angeles were dismissed for being too old.Arrested in September 2002, Rodriguez was held for 10 months while awaiting trial and he was released after the U. S. Supreme Court struck down part of a state law that allowed a longer statute of limitations on molestation charges.Santa Paula Police had been looking for Rodriguez since the new charges were filed against him in August.Rodriguez was arrested in Los Angeles and will probably be arraigned in a Ventura County courtroom this week.Anyone with additional information regarding sexual molestation by Rodriguez is encouraged to contact District Attorney Investigator John Bunch at 477-1640.
Former Our Lady of Guadalupe priest arrested for child molestations
December 17, 2003
Santa Paula News
A former priest assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Paula for five years has been arrested on allegations that he committed child molestations in the victims’ home.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA former priest assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Paula for five years has been arrested on allegations that he committed child molestations in the victims’ home. And the District Attorney’s Office is asking that anyone with additional information step forward.Carlos Rene Rodriguez, 48, served at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church from 1988 to 1993, according to District Attorney Greg Totten. He is being held on $150,000 bail.Five counts of child molestation have been filed against Rodriguez, involving two separate victims. Most of the molestations occurred at the victims’ residence.“Both victims met the defendant through their involvement with the church,” noted a press release from D.A. Totten’s office. During that period, Rodriguez, who was a member of the Vincentian Fathers order, was also a regional consultant for the Office of Family Life in Santa Barbara and lived at the Saint Mary Seminary in Santa Barbara.Prior to 1988, Rodriguez worked as a priest at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Los Angeles. Rodriguez left the Archdiocese in 1993.As a priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Rodriguez met the alleged victims, brothers, through their parents, who attended a marriage encounter group.
