Ex-Catholic Priest Receives Life Sentence

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS (AP) -- A former Roman Catholic priest was sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old former parishioner who said he was too drunk following a wedding party to defend himself.

John Salazar was sentenced Wednesday under a law that requires an automatic life sentence when a person convicted of first-degree felony assault has a prior conviction for a serious sex offense. Beau Villegas testified that Salazar assaulted him in the priest's hotel room after a wedding in 2003. He said Salazar had offered to take care of him because he drank 10 beers and at least three mixed drinks.

In the 1980s, Salazar was convicted twice in California for molesting boys and spent six years in prison. He was on parole when the Catholic diocese in Amarillo hired him and assigned him to the Church of the Holy Spirit in Tulia in 1991. Salazar was technically a priest when he assaulted Villegas but had been stripped of his duties. Salazar's attorneys said they would appeal.

Source:
New York Times