A Salinas priest, who’s been accused of sexually assaulting a teenager, appeared in court this afternoon (thurs). 42-year old Antonio Cortes (of Saint Mary of the Nativity Church in Salinas) faces felony charges of sodomy with a minor, and misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography. The hearing was held to select which evidence will or will not be excluded from the case. Arguments are slated for September 16th followed by a reported ruling. Cortes was placed on administrative leave after his arrest, which came 2 days after the molestation claims were made.
