A man who served as a parish priest at a Catholic church in Long Beach is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesdsay on nine sex-related counts.
Luis Jose Cuevas, 67, is charged with one felony count of lewd act on a child and eight misdemeanor counts of sexual battery involving a 17-year-old girl and two women.
The crimes allegedly occurred between July 2010 and February 2012. Cuevas was a parish priest at St. Athanasius Catholic Church for seven years and lived on the Linden Avenue church grounds at the time, according to police.
Cuevas was charged last week and arrested Monday by the Long Beach Police Department with the assistance of U.S. marshals at a residence in San Jacinto. He was jailed on $1 million bail while awaiting arraignment in Long Beach Superior Court.
The two women initially reported their allegations to the archdiocese and then subsequently filed a police report, with the teenager coming forward during the investigation, according to police.
Cuevas has been relieved of his duties at the church, according to a statement read during services at St. Athanasius over the weekend. The archdiocese ``took action to remove Father Cuevas from all ministry and he will be living privately pending the outcome of these matters,'' according to the statement.
