'Retired priest' staying in Elyria indicted on gross sexual imposition charges

A man staying in Elyria acting as a "retired priest" has been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old Westlake girl during a blessing at her home. According to a news release from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, Luis Jesus Barajas, 76, allegedly touched the girl inappropriately under a blanket while performing a blessing before her chemotherapy treatment on Oct. 10. "Luis Barajas is a predator who took advantage of a 15-year-old during a vulnerable time," Prosecutor Michael C. O'Malley said in an announcement of the indictment. "This indictment is the first step in holding him accountable." According to a Westlake police news release, officers received a call at 1:45 p.m. Oct. 20 from a local Catholic priest reporting an incident he'd been made aware of. According to the priest, another man claiming to be a retired priest was performing ceremonies in Spanish-speaking communities and had been accused of sexual misconduct with children in the past. The man, identified as Barajas, had been staying with families in Lorain County for several months and on Oct. 10 was taken to Westlake to bless the 15-year-old girl before a chemotherapy treatment. Witnesses reported to Westlake police that Barajas touched the girl inappropriately during the blessing, using blankets and clothing to hide some of his actions, but said the touching made several people uncomfortable and they found his movements to be "unconventional," according to Westlake police. Westlake police found Barajas had been ordained in 1982 and had been accused of sexual misconduct in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1989 and was sent back to Colombia. He was reportedly arrested in 2019 by Virginia authorities for felony misconduct with a minor and had been "acting in the capacity of trusted family friend and as church clergy," according to the news release. In 2016, the Diocese of Brooklyn issued an alert about Barajas, who claimed to be a priest from Colombia and the Trinitarian Order "yet never professed his final vows." According to that alert, the Diocese had no record of him currently being ordained and noted there had been several allegations of misconduct against him. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas lists his current address as a home on Hillsdale Court in Elyria. Barajas was indicted Nov. 9 on six charges of gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony. He is being held in the Cuyahoga County jail on a $250,000 bond.