Anaheim pastor arrested on suspicion of sexual assaults

A pastor at an Anaheim church was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of having committed a series of sexual crimes against three female victims, two of them minors at the time, over at least the last two years, police said Friday.

Rolando Fuentes, 53, of Anaheim is accused of rape and lewd acts on a minor among other charges, Anaheim police said at a news conference.

Fuentes founded Centro Familiar Cristiano Peniel in Anaheim about two years ago and was trusted by members who are mostly from the Guatemalan community, authorities said.

“He is a previous pastor of the church and has been continuing to attend the church in some capacity,” Anaheim police Sgt. Shane Carringer said. “His role as lead pastor had diminished in recent months.”

The investigation started in November 2019 after one woman came forward to report the alleged crimes, Carringer said. Police later identified two more victims: a minor and a woman who had been a victim as an adult and when she was underage.

Police did not give more details of the alleged crimes, citing the ongoing investigation.

Fuentes was arrested on suspicion of multiple counts of lewd acts with a minor, rape, sexual battery, domestic battery and child annoyance.

He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. He has not been linked to any other churches and does not have any previous criminal history, police said.

The church is at 225 N. State College Boulevard in Anaheim. It was initially located at Anaheim Boulevard but moved recently, Carringer said.

Detectives believe there could be other victims and they want the mostly Guatemalan church members to not be wary of reaching out to authorities.

“Our duty is to protect all members of the Anaheim community regardless of race or legal status,” Carringer said. “We are here to provide you with services no matter what your background is.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 714-765-1697, a dedicated line that can take callers in English and Spanish.