Priest Surrenders in Sex Case : Crime: Catholic clergyman Theodore Llanos is accused of 38 counts of child molestation.

A Catholic priest accused of 38 counts of child molestation turned himself in to authorities Wednesday, two weeks after Long Beach police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Father Theodore Llanos’ arraignment was postponed until Feb. 5, when a judge is expected to decide whether the statute of limitations annuls the charges against him, the most recent of which allegedly occurred in 1990.

Police released Llanos on his own recognizance on condition that he not be alone with minors. Long Beach Municipal Judge Bradford L. Andrew also told Llanos to avoid the five men in the case--most of them former altar boys--who contend that he sexually molested them between 1973 and 1990 at five Southern California churches, including St. Lucy’s Church and St. Barnabas Church in Long Beach.

An additional 14 alleged victims may testify to corroborate the charges, Deputy Dist. Atty. Ron Geltz said. Their accusations were not included in the case, Geltz said, because a new law only extends the statute of limitations to those who were minors when they were victims of “substantial sexual conduct.”

Llanos did not speak to reporters outside court. But his attorney, Don Steier, said the charges “take a heavy toll” on the priest, who is on leave from his duties. Steier’s busy schedule kept Llanos from returning earlier from a Maryland treatment facility to face the charges, the lawyer said.

Steier said that he had not yet reviewed the charges, but that the case would present “a serious constitutional test” because the normal statute of limitations had expired. He also charged that testimony in the case had been “polluted” by collusion and group interviews.

Long Beach police dismissed Steier’s charges and said they will continue their investigation into Llanos’ history.

“We still believe that there are victims out there . . . who are just too scared [to testify],” Detective Randi Castillo said. She criticized the Los Angeles Archdiocese for not offering more help with the investigation, such as providing internal documents and access to Llanos’ fellow priests.

But an archdiocese representative, Father Gregory Coiro, said church officials helped the investigation by referring alleged victims to the department’s detectives. But respect for others’ privacy prevented clergy from helping further, he said.

“If we take it upon ourselves to report people to the police when people don’t want to be reported to the police, then we victimize that person a second time,” Coiro said.

At a news conference outside the courthouse, some of Llanos’ alleged victims and their parents joined a Chicago-based support group for victims of clergy sexual abuse in posting a $5,000 reward for more recent victims whose testimony could help convict Llanos.

Lawrence Loock, 35, a former altar boy at St. Bernard’s church and school in Los Angeles, said he was 13 when Llanos approached him. Llanos “was aggressive and forced himself on children like me,” Loock said.

Sue Griffith, whose son Scott was the first to come forward in September with accusations against Llanos, said the experience has turned her immediate family against the church despite a proud heritage of Irish Catholicism.

“Why after 20 or 25 years didn’t [clergy] know about [Llanos’ activities]?” Griffith asked.