ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors are seeking to keep in jail a former Catholic priest arrested last week for kidnapping and raping a 6-year-old boy in the 1980s.
The New Mexico Attorney General's Office filed a motion Monday to hold Marvin Archuleta until his trial for kidnapping and raping charges.
The 81-year-old Archuleta made his first court appearance Monday after he was arrested Friday in Albuquerque.
According to court documents, Archuleta raped a 6-year-old boy attending the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Santa Cruz, New Mexico, during the mid-1980s. Documents say Archuleta raped the boy while wrapping a belt around the child's chest.
Prosecutors say Archuleta fled to Mexico after he was sued for sexual abuse but returned to New Mexico later.
Archuleta has not hired an attorney.
New Mexico AG wants ex-priest in jail before rape trial
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