Preliminary hearing date set for accused priest
Archdiocese of Los Angeles photo
The case against former Downey priest Jaime Arriaga Pedroza, accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl while serving at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, is expected to have his preliminary hearing on Monday, Sept. 15, at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Pedroza, 41, was arrested on April 3 after surrendering to detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Special Victims Bureau. He has been held without bail since his arraignment on April 7, when he pleaded not guilty.
In the case The People of the State of California vs. Jaime Arriaga Pedroza, he faces six felony charges of sexual abuse from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, according to court documents.
The charges detail that Pedroza allegedly committed one count of lewd acts upon a child aged 14 or 15 by a person at least 10 years older with the intent of arousing, appealing and gratifying his sexual desires on or about Feb 8, 2025.
The court documents show he allegedly assaulted the 14-year-old girl, referred to as Jane Doe, four additional times on or between Feb. 9, 2025, and March 21, 2025.
Pedroza is also accused by the county DA of one count of assault with intent to commit rape, sodomy oral copulation on a child under 18, on or about March 22, 2025.
In the felony complaint, it is further alleged that the way Pedroza carried out the offense “indicates planning, sophistication and professionalism.”
If convicted, Pedroza could face up to 14 years in state prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Despite the allegations, Pedroza was greeted by a group of about a dozen supporters when he entered the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center courtroom on June 6. The group, composed mainly of women and wearing predominantly white, stood when he was brought into the courtroom and again when the bailiff took him away.
Pedroza’s attorney, Anthony Raul Garcia, identified the group as supporters and said they included “parishioners and family members.”
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles removed Pedroza from his position on April 2, the day before his arrest, after receiving a report of alleged sexual misconduct involving a minor.
“The archdiocese has a long-standing commitment to the protection of minors and the reporting and prevention of abuse,” reads the Archdiocese statement. “Allegations of misconduct against anyone serving in the Archdiocese are reported to law enforcement, fully investigated and, under the Zero-Tolerance Policy, anyone who is found to have harmed a minor is permanently removed from any capacity in the Archdiocese.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman described the allegations as “unconscionable criminal conduct by a trusted religious leader” in a statement after the charges were filed.
“I commend the bravery of the young victim for coming forward under such difficult circumstances,” said Hochman. “We are working closely with law enforcement and urge the public to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department with any information on the defendant or potential additional victims.”
LASD detectives believe there may be additional victims, given the nature of the offenses in this case. They have urged anyone with additional information to contact the LASD at (877) 710-5273 or to report anonymously via Crime Stoppers.
Pedroza served as a transitional deacon at St. Louis of France Catholic Church in La Puente from June to December 2023 before his assignment to Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Downey in January 2024.
The explicit details of the alleged violations are described in additional court documents, including the search warrant from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau, which was used to obtain a DNA swab from Pedroza, and the motion to detain the former pastor without bail.
The accusations stem from alleged events that began in January 2024, when Jane Doe, then a 13-year-old altar server and parishioner at OLPH church, along with her family, met Pedroza when he was assigned to the church and serving as a deacon.
Pedroza was ordained as a priest in June 2024 and later took his position as associate pastor at OLPH, where Doe and her family remained active.
Doe’s family was involved in church activities and hosted regular post-mass gatherings where Pedroza was invited as a guest.
Through church events, outings with fellow parishioners, and shared meals after services, Pedroza reportedly began complimenting and doting on the girl, which authorities describe as “fostering a romantic relationship.”
In the search warrant, Doe reported Pedroza approached her in the church parking lot before she left for a retreat within the church grounds on Feb. 8, 2025. According to court documents, he confessed his love, stated his intent to leave the priesthood and marry her, then kissed her on the lips.
Doe, now 14 years old, reported that she was shocked at what he told her and his kissing her. After the kiss, she said she quickly left Pedroza in the parking lot.
Court documents allege that between Feb. 9, 2025, through March 21, 2025, Pedroza continued to shower Doe with adulations and gifts, including a cell phone to maintain contact and track her whereabouts.
He allegedly instructed her to share her location, delete text messages daily, communicate only via WhatsApp, and hide the phone from friends and family.
During this period, he allegedly attempted sexual intercourse multiple times at the parish rectory before mass which involved kissing, fondling, and removing clothing.
After initial failed attempts, Doe reported he succeeded in sodomizing and vaginally penetrating her on two separate occasions. Court documents share that he was wearing a condom during the encounters.
“Sodomized” is defined as any sexual act involving the sex organs of one person and the mouth or anus of another, according to Cornell Law School.
Doe said in her report that Pedroza once tracked her location to her home in Cudahy, waited until her parents left, then knocked on her door and waited for her to let him in.
He reportedly kissed her in the living room and pushed her onto the couch, where he sodomized her. Despite her pain, bleeding and pleas to stop, he continued, she said.
He fled before her parents returned, she told investigators.
It is not confirmed in the court documents whether this reported instance was on March 22, 2025, when one of the charges was allegedly committed. However, this incident was the last reported act of felony assault in the court documents.
Doe’s parents reportedly noted their daughter had become recently quiet and withdrawn.
The relationship was discovered by Doe’s parents shortly after the reported incident, when they discovered the cell phone in her backpack. They questioned her, and she shared the ongoing sexual involvement.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff Crime Lab responded to her home to process and collect evidence on April 03, 2025. Pedroza surrendered to detectives from the LASD Special Victims Bureau the same day.