Overview

• Jesús María Menéndez, known as 'padre Chus,' was detained in Gijón after a minor alleged he attempted to kiss them during Semana Santa.
• Following his arrest, Menéndez was held at the El Natahoyo police station and later provisionally released by the Juzgado de Instrucción número 3 de Gijón pending further legal proceedings.
• Menéndez is currently appealing a 2024 conviction that sentenced him to ten years in prison for drug-facilitated sexual exploitation of minors between 2015 and 2021.
• The 2024 conviction was based on evidence that he provided drugs and money to minors in exchange for sexual relations at his residence in Gijón.
• Menéndez continues to deny all allegations, maintaining that his interactions with minors were solely charitable and unrelated to any sexual misconduct.