The Region - News from May 6, 1987

A Roman Catholic priest who pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of molesting an altar boy was sentenced to three years’ probation. Father Gustavo Benson, 41, former pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Barstow, also was ordered by Barstow Municipal Judge James Dorr to receive counseling at a church program in New Mexico, register as a sex offender and avoid contact with minors unless accompanied by another adult. In return, Dorr dismissed a second misdemeanor molestation charge involving another boy and two misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of minors. Prosecutor Kay Neshat concurred with the ruling, saying that the rehabilitation program, run by the Servants of the Paraclete religious order, will not release Benson until he is deemed ready to return to society.