Priest who served in Oxnard charged in child pornography case
A Catholic priest who served at an Oxnard church for a little over a year has been charged with felony possession of child pornography, prosecutors said Thursday.
The Rev. Rodolfo Martinez-Guevara, 38, of Long Beach, allegedly possessed more than 600 images, including those showing minors under age 12, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said in a news release.
The priest in the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit religious order was assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in Oxnard's La Colonia neighborhood from July 2021 through September of last year, church officials said. Since then, he has been in residence with the missionaries order in Long Beach, according to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Senior Deputy DA Howard Wise, who is prosecuting the case, said some of the alleged offenses occurred while Martinez-Guevara was stationed in Oxnard. He served at the local parish as a deacon and newly ordained priest, the archdiocese said.
Martinez-Guevara has been removed from ministry by the archdiocese and by his order, the archdiocese said in a statement. The removal means he cannot work as a priest in the archdiocese, said spokeswoman Adrian Alarcon.
Archdiocese officials also noted the Martinez-Guevara was a priest with the order, not the archdiocese. While in residence in Long Beach, he had faculties to minister in the archdiocese, they said.
"The Archdiocese stands against any sexual misconduct and is resolute in our support for victim-survivors of any misconduct," officials said in the statement.
The defendant was arrested Wednesday and booked into the main jail in Ventura. He remained there Friday in lieu of $750,000 bail, jail records show.
No plea was entered during an arraignment Friday morning, court records show. The hearing was continued to the morning of Sept. 26 in courtroom 12. A public defender represented Martinez-Guevara during Friday's session.
Martinez-Guevara became the focus of an investigation after several reports were made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the district attorney's office said. In April 2023, a local task force focused on child exploitation and human trafficking started its own investigation.
Early this week, the Ventura County Superior Court issued a warrant for the priest's arrest. The next day, he was located in Long Beach and taken into custody without incident, officials said.
Staff writer Tom Kisken contributed to this report.
Kathleen Wilson covers courts, crime and local government issues. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0271.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Priest who served in Oxnard charged in child pornography case
