A former priest with St. James Catholic Church in Davis is scheduled to appear for the first time in Yolo Superior Court in Woodland to face three felony and one misdemeanor charges related to an alleged illegal relationship with an underage church member.
According to the Yolo County District Attorney’s office, the priest, Hector Coria Gonzalez, 45, began the relationship by befriending the seventeen year old girl in April, 2013. But then, in September, 2013, according the DA’s complaint, the relationship escalated and the priest and the juvenile became intimate at several Davis locations including “a house, a vehicle and the church rectory.”
The relationship came to an end when Davis police arrested Fr. Gonzalez on Friday, May 9 on charges of statutory rape. Fr. Gonzalez has remained free since posting $50,000 bail on May 10. If convicted on the three felony counts, Gonzales could face punishment ranging from probation to incarceration for up to four years and four months, according to a Yolo County DA’s office spokesperson.
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The Davis Enterprise: Charges filed against St. James priest
