Father Angel Perez Chased His Victim Down The Street

Okay, so most people who stop in here know that I am not a fan of the Catholic Church. I don’t like their stance on HIV/AIDS—which is basically one of denial—and I loathe their policy toward protecting priests who rape children.

As in the case of a twelve-year-old boy from Salem Oregon.

James Curths

Near midnight one Sunday night, James Curths, who had been hosting a barbeque at his home, was standing in his yard when he saw a young boy running toward him, begging for help, saying a man was chasing him.

Curths and his sister-in-law, Heather Rodriguez, then saw a grown man round the corner, running, too, out of breath and in what looked like underwear. The man tried to wave the boy over, but Curths and Rodriguez told the man they were calling the police and taking the boy home.

The man turned and ran off into the night.

Scary story, indeed, but the man who chased that boy that night, according to Woodburn, Oregon, police officers, was the Reverend Angel Perez, the parish priest at St. Luke Catholic Church in Woodburn. 

The boy's description matched that of the priest, and he told of what the man had done to him at his home; police later arrested Father Perez, who was arraigned last Tuesday, and faces allegations of first-degree sexual abuse, abuse of a child in the display of sexually explicit conduct, furnishing alcohol to a minor and driving under the influence of intoxicants. 

The boy said Father Perez had asked his parents a few days earlier if he could take him on a trip to the mountains, and a few nights later, after a community church event, Perez took the young boy to his home, instead.

The boy said Perez gave him a beer and they watched a movie. When he became tired, he fell asleep on an air mattress that had been set up in the living room. He was startled awake, and found Father Perez beside him, with one hand on the boy's genitals and one hand holding a cell phone. The boy's shirts and underwear had been pulled down below his knees.

Father Perez

When Father Perez went upstairs, the boy packed his things and ran down the street to James Curths, who said, "He just seemed really terrified, and he was almost in tears."

When Father Perez showed up, the boy hid behind Curths.

James Curths took the boy to his sister's house, where he told sister that “Father Angel touched me in my privates." His sister called her parents, who came to get their son.

Meanwhile, according to his affidavit, Perez had arrived at the boy's home to talk to the boy's mother and brother. They say he had a strong odor of alcohol and appeared intoxicated, and, allegedly, told them, "I am very sorry; I made a mistake." 

The family asked Perez to leave the house. 
When questioned by police, Perez said he drank too much at the event, and that he and the boy were given a ride back to his home where only Perez had a beer while they watched a movie. Perez says he went upstairs to brush his teeth, and when he came down, he saw what he described as a look of "disappointment and anger" on the boy's face.

Perez admitted to driving intoxicated to the boy's home to apologize and find out what happened. He said he dropped to his knees and begged for forgiveness. 

A little too late, and, perhaps, father, you should be asking forgiveness of a higher power. The power in this country will probably be putting you in jail for a very long time.

A Marion County judge ordered Father Angel Perez to remain in custody without bail, saying there was a "clear and convincing" evidence that the priest would pose a risk to the victim in the case and the general public if he was released pending the start of his trial. 

Sadly, the Archdiocese of Portland disagrees, and they have provided Father Perez with a loan for legal representation. There is no word on what kind of consolation they've offered his victim, if any, because the Catholic Church, as much as they like to proselytize that they are helping children, they first help themselves.

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