A former priest of the Roman Catholic Church who left it and started his own, pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony drug charges involving the alleged sale of methamphetamine out of his Home Gardens church, as well as the possession of a date rape drug and a hypnotic sedative.Anthony Martinez Garduno, 51, also made headlines in September when he was shot during a robbery attempt outside Our Lady of Tepeyac, in Home Gardens, which is near the city of Corona.
Garduno was not charged in connection to sex abuse allegations, which prompted the initial search of Garduno's church.
Instead, he was charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance for sale, two felony counts of possession of controlled substances and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, based on evidence collected during the service of a search warrant on Dec. 29.
He is also charged with receiving stolen property -- a .32-caliber semiautomatic pistol that he allegedly knew had been stolen.
The misdemeanor count stems from his alleged possession of Lorazepam, a hypnotic sedative. Garduno is also suspected of possession for sale of methamphetamine and possession of GHB, a date-rape drug.
Position with the Church
The sheriff's department has been referring to Garduno as a bishop, however, according to the The Diocese of San Bernardino, he is not a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
Rather, when Garduno was "defrocked," or relieved of his duties, in 1993, he left the Roman Catholic church that he was serving as a priest and began his own church to which he appointed himself bishop, Our Lady of Tepeyac, according to diocesan spokesman John Andrews.
Garduno has called his church Catholic, but it is not Roman Catholic and therefore is not recognized by the Vatican, according to Andrews.
"We do not consider him to be a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church," Andrews told KPSP.
The Arrest
Garduno's arrest on Dec. 29 stemmed from an investigation launched Dec. 21 on claims that the self-proclaimed bishop assaulted a 17-year-old boy, according to sheriff's Deputy Herlinda Valenzuela.
The alleged victim also reported having knowledge of additional sexual assaults by Garduno against underage boys and selling of drugs in the church, Valenzuela said Wednesday.
Investigators served a search warrant at the church, at 13462 Magnolia Ave., and found "evidence indicative of Garduno selling narcotics from the church," Valenzuela said.
Evidence was also found linking the bishop to possible sexual assaults that may have occurred at the church, she said.
As of Jan. 4, he was still being held at Robert Presley Detention Center in downtown Riverside on $250,000 bail, according to jail records.
Previous Headlines
In September, Garduno was shot outside his church when he interrupted a robbery. He surprised five suspects, one of whom opened fire, according to sheriff's officials.
The five had allegedly been on a 10-hour robbery spree targeting Denny's and IHOP restaurants in Los Angeles and Riverside counties, according to sheriff's investigators.
Willis Webb Bagley, 38, of Perris, Jacob Zachary Buschow, 19, of Pomona, Anthony Brian Coleman, 21, of Chino, Timothy William Jacquemain, 18, of Pomona, and Andrew Blake Swindle, 23, of Pomona, are all being prosecuted on attempted murder and robbery charges. Their trial was set for Monday.
Garduno was ordered back to court Monday for a felony settlement conference. A preliminary hearing was tentatively set for Jan. 14.
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SIC: KPSP