Cicpc agents arrested Douglas Cievel Escalante Zambrano (66), parish priest of the church of San Pedro del Río, San Juan de Colón, Táchira, accused of sexual abuse of a minor, according to judicial sources.
Escalante was reported by the mother of a 12-year-old girl, who discovered the incident after checking her daughter’s cell phone and observing several messages sent by the priest.
In fact, the Cicpc’s preliminary report says that the priest, “under seduction and deception through messaging via WhatsApp, asked the victim to send him pornographic photographs.” And when referring to the place where the events occurred, the police report says that it took place on different occasions on imprecise dates and times “inside a Toyota brand vehicle, Hilux model, plates 82L AAE, green, adjacent to Plaza Bolívar, Casco Central, San Juan de Colón, Ayacucho municipality, Táchira state.”
Escalante Zambrano’s arrest took place in front of the parish house of the San Pedro del Río church, located in the aforementioned municipality of Tachira.
Two days ago, the Diocese of San Cristóbal issued a statement informing that they agreed to separate Escalante Zambrano “from all ecclesiastical office” against whom they initiated “a canonical investigation.”
