Police investigation continues into former Los Banos priest
A police investigation into allegations of possible child pornography possession by a former Los Banos Catholic priest enters its 10th month next week, and officers said they are still looking for information from the public.
The Rev. Robert Gamel has not been arrested or formally accused of wrongdoing by investigators from the Los Banos Police Department, but officers said work on the case continues.
Cmdr. Jason Hedden said police are working with prosecutors and pursuing leads but said he could not comment on any possible timetable for when the nearly yearlong investigation may conclude.
“Obviously, everybody wants a very thorough investigation, and there have been a lot of moving parts with this case,” Hedden said Monday.
Gamel, 65, has been under investigation since Aug. 14, when church officials told police the now-former head of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Los Banos may have obtained from the Internet nude photographs of a teenage parishioner, according to court records obtained by the Merced Sun-Star.
Gamel was placed on administrative leave and was replaced in December as the priest at St. Joseph’s.
Police on Aug. 15 seized a laptop, computer tower, CDs and a brown box containing nearly 20 DVDs, many involving erotic-themed male muscle films, according to a copy of a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Sun-Star.
According to the affidavit, Gamel told other priests he had sought out nude photographs of the teenage boy, possibly from a social networking website.
Police from the beginning of the case said the investigation would likely take several months. Priests enjoy “confessional privilege,” which, protects the confidentiality of certain conversations between a clergyman and a church member. Officers have to examine the computers without infringing on records that may be protected under that privilege.
This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 6:58 AM with the headline "Police investigation continues into former Los Banos priest."