RIVERSIDE - A former Catholic priest caught with methamphetamine and other illegal drugs at his Home Gardens residence was sentenced today to two years in state prison.

Anthony Martinez Garduno, 51, pleaded guilty Jan. 4 to two counts of possessing a controlled substance and one count each of possessing methamphetamine for sale, receiving stolen property and unlawfully holding a prescription medication, Lorazepam, a misdemeanor.

Garduno appeared today before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gordon R. Burkhart, to whom the defendant entered his plea in January. The District Attorney's Office did not broker the plea deal, according to spokesman John Hall.

The former priest could have received a maximum four years, four months behind bars, Hall said.

Garduno was arrested Dec. 29, after an investigation determined he was selling methamphetamine and in possession of other drugs, including the "date rape" narcotic GHB, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Detectives said they also found evidence allegedly linking Garduno to one or more sexual assaults at his Home Gardens chapel, Our Lady of Tepeyac -- where he also lived -- at 13462 Magnolia Ave. However, he was not charged with any sex-related counts.

According to authorities, a young man accused Garduno of sexually assaulting him at age 17, prompting an investigation that began on Dec. 21. The alleged victim told investigators he knew of other boys who allegedly had been

assaulted.

The status of that investigation was unclear.

In September, Garduno was shot outside his church when he interrupted an apparent burglary. He surprised five suspects, one of whom opened fire, according to sheriff's officials.

The suspects had allegedly been on a 10-hour robbery spree targeting Denny's and IHOP restaurants in Los Angeles and Riverside counties, investigators said.

Willis Webb Bagley, 38, of Perris; Jacob Zachary Buschow, 19, of Pomona; Anthony Brian Coleman, 21, of Chino; Timothy William Jacquemain, 18, of Pomona; and Andrew Blake Swindle, 23, of Pomona, are all being prosecuted on

attempted murder and robbery charges.

Their trial is slated to begin next week.

According to the Diocese of San Bernardino, Garduno was defrocked in the early 1990s.

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Bishop does about-face in court and pleads guilty to felony charges

RIVERSIDE - A Catholic bishop accused of possessing illegal drugs for sale did an about-face today in court, switching his plea to guilty on four felony charges and a misdemeanor count.

Bishop Anthony Martinez Garduno, 51, was arrested Tuesday, after an investigation determined he was selling methamphetamine and in possession of other drugs, including the "date rape" narcotic GHB, according to Riverside

County sheriff's detectives.

The detectives said they also found evidence allegedly linking Garduno to one or more sexual assaults at his Home Gardens church, Our Lady of Tepeyac, at 13462 Magnolia Ave. However, he has not been charged with any sex-related

counts.

Garduno entered a not guilty plea Thursday to two counts of possessing a controlled substance and one count each of possessing a controlled substance for sale, receiving stolen property and unlawfully holding a prescription medication -- Lorazepam -- which is a misdemeanor.

However, during a felony settlement conference today, Garduno's attorney notified Judge Gordon Burkhart that he wanted to change his plea.

Burkhart advised Garduno of his right to a jury trial, but the bishop waived the privilege and pleaded guilty to all counts.

The District Attorney's Office had no advance knowledge Garduno planned to switch his plea, Public Information Officer John Hall said.

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Shriners Hospital for Children on the case after Garduno's sentencing hearing, set for March 1, Hall said.

The county Probation Department is expected to complete a pre-sentencing report in the next eight weeks. The contents of that report could determine whether Garduno receives the maximum sentence of four years, four months in

prison.

The status of the investigation into the alleged sexual assaults was unclear.

According to authorities, a young man accused the clergyman of sexually assaulting him at age 17, prompting an investigation that began on Dec. 21. The alleged victim told investigators he knew of other boys who allegedly had been

assaulted.

In September, Garduno was shot outside his church when he interrupted an apparent burglary. He surprised five suspects, one of whom opened fire, according to the sheriff's department.

The suspects had allegedly been on a 10-hour robbery spree targeting Denny's and IHOP restaurants in Los Angeles and Riverside counties, according to sheriff's investigators.

Willis Webb Bagley, 38, of Perris; Jacob Zachary Buschow, 19, of Pomona; Anthony Brian Coleman, 21, of Chino; Timothy William Jacquemain, 18, of Pomona; and Andrew Blake Swindle, 23, of Pomona, are all being prosecuted on

attempted murder and robbery charges.

Their trial is slated to begin in March.

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RIVERSIDE - A Catholic bishop accused of child molestation pleaded not guilty today to felony drug charges involving the alleged sale of methamphetamine and possession of a date rape drug and Lorazepam. a hypnotic sedative, out of his Home Gardens church.

Bishop Anthony Martinez Garduno, 51, who also made headlines in September when he was shot outside Our Lady of Tepeyac during a robbery attempt was not charged in connection with sex abuse allegations involving a teenage boy.

Instead, he was charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance for sale, two felony counts of possession of controlled substances and one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.

He is also charged with receiving stolen property -- .32-caliber semiautomatic pistol that he allegedly knew had been stolen.

The misdemeanor count stems from his alleged possession of Lorazepam, a hypnotic sedative.

Garduno is also suspected of possession for sale of methamphetamine and possession of GHB, a date-rape drug.

Garduno's arrest Tuesday stemmed from an investigation launched Dec. 21 on claims that the bishop assaulted a 17-year-old boy, according to sheriff's Deputy Herlinda Valenzuela.

The alleged victim also reported having knowledge of additional sexual assaults by Garduno against underage boys and selling of drugs in the church, Valenzuela said Wednesday.

Investigators served a search warrant at the church, at 13462 Magnolia Ave., and found evidence linking the bishop to drug sales and possible sexual assaults, Valenzuela said.

In September, Garduno was shot outside his church when he interrupted a robbery. He surprised five suspects, one of whom opened fire, according to sheriff's officials.

The five had allegedly been on a 10-hour robbery spree targeting Denny's and IHOP restaurants in Los Angeles and Riverside counties, according to sheriff's investigators.

Willis Webb Bagley, 38, of Perris, Jacob Zachary Buschow, 19, of Pomona, Anthony Brian Coleman, 21, of Chino, Timothy William Jacquemain, 18, of Pomona, and Andrew Blake Swindle, 23, of Pomona, are all being prosecuted on

attempted murder and robbery charges.

Their trial is set for Monday.

Garduno was ordered back to court Monday for a felony settlement conference. A preliminary hearing was tentatively set for Jan. 14.

He is behind bars on $250,000 bail.