Dallas priest arrested on two counts of indecency with child in Garland
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A Dallas priest is accused of inappropriately touching two children, police said Tuesday.
Ricardo Reyes Mata, 34, a priest with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, was arrested Monday on two counts of indecency with a child, Garland police said in a statement. Two children reported the inappropriate contact after the priest visited a home in Garland, police said. Detectives are working with the Dallas diocese.
In a statement, the diocese said it immediately filed a report with Child Protective Services and law enforcement after becoming aware of allegations by a juvenile girl of inappropriate touching. The priest was also removed from public ministry, the diocese said, adding that no inappropriate activity was reported on diocesan property.
Detectives ask that anyone with information regarding this investigation or other such incidents, call Garland police at 972-485-4840.
Reyes Mata, who lives in Dallas, is being held at the Garland Detention Center with bonds set at $75,000 and $100,000.
Reyes Mata was appointed parochial vicar of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Dallas in 2023, according to the cathedral’s website. Before that, he served as parochial vicar of St. Jude Parish in Allen. He also served as chaplain for Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas.
