BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Sewage spill messy,...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Sewage spill messy, but not dangerous

A blocked pipeline caused a sewage spill at a Costa Mesa business

Monday afternoon, officials said.

Maintenance workers noticed the spill in the 700 block of 16th

Street at about 3 p.m., said Jerry Vasquez, a spokesman for the Costa

Mesa Sanitary District. Tree roots from a business on Superior Avenue

blocked a pipeline, causing the raw sewage to back up and flow out of

another pipe, he said.

Sanitary District workers contained the spill in about an hour.

The Orange County Health Care Agency estimated the spill at 2,000 to

3,000 gallons. The spill was not hazardous to the public and did not

cause disruptions, Vasquez said.

Former Catholic priest sentenced

A 72-year-old former Roman Catholic priest, who served as a

parochial vicar at St. Joachim Catholic Church in Costa Mesa, was

sentenced to six months in county jail on Friday for sexually

assaulting a 15-year-old girl, officials said.

In January, Gerardo Jarencio Tanilong pleaded guilty to two felony

counts of committing a lewd act upon a child. He was serving at the

Our Lady of Guadalupe-Delhi Church in Santa Ana at the time of the

incident.

Prosecutors said Tanilong was sitting in the back seat of a

vehicle next to the victim when he groped her. He was returning from

a church function with the girl and her family. The victim told her

parents about the groping soon after returning home, officials said.

Tanilong came from the Philippines in 1986 and became a priest in

1990. Diocese officials said he served at St. Joachim for two years.

This was the only complaint brought against Tanilong to the Diocese.

Tanilong was permanently removed from the ministry following his

admission of guilt. He was put on administrative leave in July when

the allegation was made.

Tanilong will no longer be allowed to function publicly as a

priest or wear the clerical collar, Diocese officials said.