Dallas priest arrested in Garland on two counts of indecency with a child

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. Investigators are working with the Diocese of Dallas.

In a statement, the diocese said it immediately filed a report with Child Protective Services and law enforcement after becoming aware of an underage girl’s allegations of inappropriate touching. The priest was also removed from public ministry, the diocese said, adding that no inappropriate activities on diocesan property had been reported.

Investigators ask anyone with information about this investigation or other incidents of this nature to call Garland police at 972-485-4840.

Reyes Mata, who lives in Dallas, is being held at the Garland Detention Center on bonds of $75,000 and $100,000.

According to the cathedral’s website, Reyes Mata was appointed parochial vicar of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Dallas in 2023. Previously, he was parochial vicar of St. Jude Parish in Allen. He also served as chaplain at Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas.

Dallas Bishop Edward Burns thanked law enforcement for their thorough response.

“We take all allegations of misconduct seriously,” the diocese’s statement said. “In the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, the safety and well-being of everyone is of the utmost importance.”

The Priest Abuse Victims’ Survivor Network, known as SNAP, called on the diocese to conduct outreach efforts to identify any additional victims.

“This disturbing news from Texas reinforces that clergy sexual abuse is still a contemporary issue,” the advocacy group said in a statement. “It can take victims decades to admit their abuse and find the courage to come forward. However, the fact that a survivor has already been identified could help shorten this process.”