'Spiritual healer' arrested, accused of sex abuse, abortion in the Bronx | abc7ny.com

Robles is accused of making his clients drink oils that would incapacitate them. Then, he would allegedly cut off their clothing with a knife and sexually abuse them.

Police say Robles also walked on a woman's stomach and back who was six-weeks pregnant. She suffered a miscarriage.

Among his many charges, Robles is also charged with abortion.

The so-called treatment is a form of practice known as Santeria.

'Spiritual healer' arrested, accused of sex abuse, abortion in the Bronx | abc7ny.com

UPDATED::Santeria priest charged with stealing 8 skeletons from Worcester's Hope Cemetery | masslive.com

UPDATE:: Charges dropped against one Santeria priest in Hope Cemetery grave robberies 

Charges have been dropped against one of two former Santeria priests suspected of involvement in the theft of eight skeletons from Hope Cemetery in Worcester last year.

Felix Delgado, 40, of 518 Hallett St., Bridgeport, will no longer face charges of disinterment of a body after authorities say the bones found in his apartment were determined not to match those missing from Worcester.

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A Santeria priest has been indicted on nine charges of disinterment of a body in the theft of skeletons from Worcester's Hope Cemetery last year.

Amador Medina, 32, of 245 Preston St., Apt. 2, Hartford, was indicted by a Worcester County grand jury on Wednesday in thefts from two mausoleum's last year.

Medina had been arrested and charged in district court last December in connection with the theft of five skeletons from the Houghton-family mausoleum. He was held on $100,000 bail.

Santeria priest charged with stealing 8 skeletons from Worcester's Hope Cemetery | masslive.com

Coyote Tied Up And Hung In Sick Ritual Finally Gets The Dignity He Deserves

Still baffled how the "in the name of religion" mentality can be used to justify inhumane actions to man and beast.

Eight African lions, a mountain lion, two lynxes and a coyote are moving to their new home at The Wild Animal Sanctuary after an epic rescue from Mexico.

One of these incredibly lucky dozen, CanCan, has a story that is as heartbreaking as it is bizarre.

The 12-year-old coyote was rescued from a place where he was used for Santeria rituals. These rituals involved tying his front paws together and hanging him in the air for days — sometimes WEEKS — on end. 

As noted by Doubtful News, 

There is dispute over use of animals in this religious tradition. Sacrifices mostly seem to involve chickens where the followers say they are killed humanely. There remains in some states laws against killing without any exemptions. The Supreme Court took up the question in 1993 with specific reference to Santeria.

However, this is the first public account we’ve heard of an animal being tortured,,,

Coyote Tied Up And Hung In Sick Ritual Finally Gets The Dignity He Deserves

Updated::Santeria priest claims sexual assault was part of healing ritual, police say - LA Times

UPDATE::   Santeria priest who fathered a child with woman found buried in yard is charged in her death

Same individual different case:

Maria Delrefugio Chavez turned to Pablo Pinto Mata, a Santeria spiritual leader, for healing.

The El Monte woman met Mata — a self-proclaimed priest whose followers sometimes called him "El Padrino," or the Godfather — at a botánica he owned in Montebello, where he performed healing rituals.

He became her spiritualist. Eventually their relationship became intimate. Though Mata was already married with children, he fathered a daughter with Chavez, authorities said.

Maria Delrefugio Chavez had a child with botánica owner Pablo Pinto Mata, who is being sought in Chavez's death. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

 

Then, in 2009, Chavez disappeared. Authorities investigated, but the trail eventually went cold — until this month. Human remains were found buried in the backyard of a San Gabriel Valley home. Los Angeles County authorities said Tuesday the remains are those of Chavez and that Mata is now charged in her slaying.

The 46-year-old, who is of Salvadoran descent, disappeared two years ago after allegedly assaulting a teenage girl, authorities said. Detectives said they can't be sure he's still in the country.
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Even before he was charged in Chavez's death, Mata was under police scrutiny.
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Sheriff's Det. Steven Blagg said authorities were hoping some of Mata's followers would see that "he's a false prophet" and come forward. Blagg said that Mata also used the moniker Juan Diego, after the indigenous Catholic saint who, according to legend, beheld the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1531.

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A Santeria priest has been accused of sexually assaulting a girl during what he claimed were healing rituals, Montebello police said Thursday.

Police are trying to find Pablo Pinto Mata, 46 — known as a “Santero,” or priest — who often performed healing rituals at his business, Los Angeles Import, in the 2400 block of Whittier Boulevard in Montebello, police said.

But police said his so-called healing rituals were a ploy used to assault a teenager. Montebello detectives have been chasing Mata since 2013, but he has managed to elude them.

Santeria priest claims sexual assault was part of healing ritual, police say - LA Times