A Catholic priest in Fremont has been arrested on suspicion of 30 counts of child sex abuse, officials said.

David Mendoza-Vela, 42, who was the head pastor at Corpus Christi Church in Fremont, was arrested Thursday evening, and was later booked into Santa Rita Jail early Friday morning, according to county records.

“Our investigation learned this abuse occurred with one child victim over an 18 month period starting in 2016,” Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a press release Sunday.

During the time the alleged abuse occurred, Mendoza-Vela was working at St. John’s Catholic Church in San Lorenzo, and had since been transferred to Corpus Christi in Fremont, Kelly said.

“We are unaware of any cases in Fremont and have been in contact with Fremont Police,” he said.

County arrest records refer to him as Hector David Vela, while the Diocese of Oakland refers to him as David Mendoza-Vela.

Bishop Michael Barber of the Diocese of Oakland has placed Mendoza-Vela on administrative leave, according to a letter he wrote to parishioners Saturday about the arrest, which was posted on the church’s website.

“While we do not have all the details, the alleged behavior is in clear violation of the Diocese’s code of conduct and the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Diocese has been in contact with Fremont law enforcement and is following its internal protocols,” the letter said.

“This means, while the situation is being investigated, Father Mendoza-Vela may notpresent himself in public as a priest nor engage in any priestly ministry. As is normative for such a process, the Diocese will not provide any further information during the investigation.”

Barber said he would appoint a “temporary parochial administrator for the parish as soon as possible.”

Press Release: Child Sexual Abuse Investigation- Fr. David Mendoza-Vela. https://t.co/2ETGC2TXJ4 pic.twitter.com/oWHPkcCFBc — Alameda County Sheriff (@ACSOSheriffs) March 31, 2019

Mendoza-Vela is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, county records show.

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Oakland diocese issued news release on alleged priest misconduct with minor A 2008 piece in The Catholic Voice, an online publication of the Oakland Diocese, said he was born in 1977 in San Salvador, El Salvador, and considered “his vocation as ‘a call to serve the people of God, even in small things.’”

“At this time, we are unaware of any other child victims,” Kelly said. “Victims are encouraged to come forward and report any suspected abuse to local law enforcement.”

Members of the group SNAP, the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, in a statement Sunday is calling for Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to revoke Mendoza-Vela’s passport so he cannot flee the country, and to create a hotline for all victims of clergy abuse in the county.

Another priest in the Oakland diocese who was suspended from his duties following allegations of child sexual abuse, Rev. Alexander Castillo, is believed to have fled the country in February.

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