Monday, August 09, 2010

Former Saanich priest arrested on multiple sex charges

A Catholic priest from the U.S. who spent four years working in a Saanich church was arrested this week on a Canada-wide warrant for a variety of sex offences.

Father Phil Jacobs was arrested by Saanich police on Wednesday as he arrived at the Victoria airport.

Jacobs is charged with sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation.

Jacobs served as parish priest at St. Joseph the Worker Church on West Burnside Road in Saanich from 1998 to 2002.

He resigned in April 2002, when it was revealed that he was fired from a post with the Diocese of Columbus for sexual misconduct.

In the mid-1990s, he was removed as vice rector at a church college and required to enter therapy because of “improper sexual touching of a person who was still a minor,” the head of Diocese of Columbus told the Times Colonist in 2002.

Jacobs was not charged in relation to the incident, because the family asked that the case not be pursued criminally.

Jacobs has been in police custody since his arrest this week and is appearing in court today for a bail hearing.

Saanich police said in 2009, while Jacobs was living abroad, they received information that led to an investigation into Jacobs' role as priest at St. Joseph's. Police gathered enough evidence to recommend charges against Jacob to the crown and on July 9, Victoria prosecutors approved the charges and police issued a Canada-wide warrant.

Saanich police are asking any potential victims or anyone with information about Jacobs to contact them.

SIC: TVS