WESTLAKE, Ohio — A 76-year-old man is facing a felony charge after being accused of posing as a "retired priest" and molesting a Westlake teen girl who is battling cancer.
According to Westlake Police Capt. Gerald Vogel, officers received a call from an area Catholic priest with a report of a "disturbing incident."
Police say they discovered that Luis Jesus Barajas had been in Lorain County for several months and was staying with local families. A Colombian national, acting as "a retired priest," Barajas was visiting Northeast Ohio and performing spiritual ceremonies to the area's Spanish-speaking populations.
On Oct. 10, Vogel reports that Barajas was driven to Westlake to bless a 15-year-old girl who was sick with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. The family had heard about a Spanish-speaking retired priest in the area and requested that Barajas pray with the teen.
Witnesses told police that Barajas touched the juvenile inappropriately during the blessing, using blankets and clothing to hide some of his actions. Vogel says the touching actions by Barajas made several witnesses uncomfortable, adding that they were “unconventional” compared to past blessings they had seen.
Investigators learned Barajas had supposedly been ordained a Catholic priest in 1982. He had been accused of sexual misconduct involving juveniles in the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania around 1989 and was sent back to Colombia.
3News received the following statement from the Diocese of Harrisburg regarding Barajas:
"Luis Jesus Barajas, a laicized priest with the Order of the Most Blessed Trinity, was assigned to the Diocese of Harrisburg from March, 1987 to November, 1989, to minister to the Spanish-speaking communities in the Lebanon and York areas. In 1989, concerns regarding Barajas were reported to the Diocese, at which time his faculties to exercise his priestly ministry in the Diocese were removed and he returned to Colombia. The Diocese released Barajas’ name in August 2018 and his case was detailed in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report regarding clergy abuse.
"The Diocese continues to offer our assistance and prayers to survivors of abuse and to encourage those suffering from abuse to report those actions to law enforcement."
Police added that there were reports that Barajas was removed from the Priesthood at some point, but it is not clear when that happened. He was was arrested in 2019 by Virginia authorities for felony misconduct with a minor. At that time, Barajas had reportedly been “acting in the capacity of trusted family friend and as church clergy” as well.
"We do have a strong concern that there were other victims," Vogel told 3News' Emma Henderson. "It seems that was this guy's whole life, what he's been doing again since the 1980s."
After obtaining a warrant, Westlake police arrested Barajas on Monday with a charge of gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony. He was taken into custody at an Elyria residence without incident.
Barajas made his initial appearance in Rocky River Municipal Court on Tuesday.