Downey priest arrested after sexual abuse allegations involving minor

Father Jamie Arriaga, 41, was arrested on allegations of sexual abuse to a minor on Thursday, April 3. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles)

DOWNEY — A Downey priest was arrested after accusations of sexual abuse to a minor on Thursday, April 3, and now faces eight felony counts, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. 

Father Jamie Arriaga, 41, was removed from his position as associate pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Downey on Wednesday, April 2, after the archdiocese received a report alleging his sexual misconduct against a minor,the Archdiocese of Los Angeles wrote in a statement. 

“The archdiocese has a long-standing commitment to the protection of minors and reporting the prevention of abuse,” reads the Archdiocese statement. “Allegations of misconduct against anyone serving in the Archdiocese are reported to law enforcement, fully investigated and, under the Zero-Tolerance Policy, anyone who is found to have harmed a minor is permanently removed from any capacity in the Archdiocese.”

The report alleges an incident of sexual abuse against a teenage girl occurred on Saturday, March 22, according to court documents and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. 

OLPH School sent an email to parents earlier this week that the victim is not a student at the school. 

Arriaga, who also goes by Arriaga-Pedroza, surrendered to detectives from the  LASD Special Victims Bureau on Thursday, April 3.  

Arriaga was arraigned at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on Monday, April 7, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed 8 felony counts of sexual abuse against him. He remains in custody with no bail. 

“Based on the nature of the offenses, detectives believe there might be additional victims,” the LASD wrote in the news release.

Arriaga served as a transitional deacon at St. Louis of France in La Puente between June to December 2023, and was assigned to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Downey during January 2024, said the archdiocese. 

Father Jamie Arriaga, 41, was removed from his position as associate pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Downey, where he was assigned in January 2024. (Photo by Vince Medina)