A bail review motion scheduled for today on a Catholic priest accused of child molestation was put off until Jan. 5 amid suggestions he may be a flight risk.
The Rev. Uriel Ojeda, 32, who served in parishes in Woodland and Redding, is accused in seven counts of molesting a girl under the age of 14. The criminal complaint filed against him said the acts took place between June 28, 2007, and Aug. 30, 2009.
Ojeda's attorney, Jesse Ortiz, asked for the delay in order to obtain his client's personnel records from the Sacramento archdiocese.
"The issue is if he's a flight risk," Ortiz said. "The documents will show that he is not."
Ortiz said Ojeda had regularly taken vacations in Mexico and has friends and relatives in the country.
The accusation that Ojeda is a flight risk did not come from the District Attorney's Office, Ortiz said. He said the notion began to emerge around the time of his Nov. 30 arrest, according to Ortiz.
Deputy District Attorney Allison Dunham declined to comment on the case today.
PHOTO CREDIT: Supporters of Rev. Uriel Ojeda attend the Catholic Priest's bail hearing on Monday. Hector Amezcua, Sacramento Bee.
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