Jose Manuel Lozano, a 54-year-old pastor and foster father from Hesperia, CA was arrested on charges of prolonged sexual abuse of two girls. According to a press release from The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, currently, he faces charges for the two girls ages 10 and 16, but they believe they aren’t the only victims.
“On Thursday, April 25, 2024, detectives from the Hesperia Police Department continued an investigation into allegations of continuous sexual abuse of minors by a foster parent and pastor of a local church. Detectives identified Jose Manuel Lozano as the suspect. At the conclusion of the investigation, Lozano was arrested and booked into the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto for violation of PC 288.5(a) – Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Minor, a felony, in lieu of a $5,000,000.00 bail. Detectives believe there may be additional victims and are releasing Lozano’s photograph.”
So far authorities have refused to identify the name of his church or provide any information about how many other children he may have fostered. With his $5 million bail, he isn’t likely to see the outside of a cell any time soon. The High Desert Detention Center is not known for being a facility with inmates who take kindly to people like Lozano.
While stories of priests abusing young people are nothing new, it’s not the type of story the church likes being made public. Men and women of the cloth, like Lozano, are supposed to have moral fiber that is above reproach. Their soul and conscience need to be pure to absolve the sins of the rest of us. Actions like this are illegal, immoral, and a mortal sin. Hopefully, the California legal system and penal system can correct this behavior.
