OROVILLE, Calif. — On Thursday, a local pastor in Chico pleaded guilty to child molestation charges in Butte County Superior Court.

According to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, 75-year-old Roger Scalice admitted to molesting a minor under 14 years old and remains in the Butte County Jail awaiting sentencing.

The charges originated in October after the Chico Police Department received a report of inappropriate contact between Scalice and a minor he had access to for more than a year. Scalice confessed to the conduct during the investigation and was arrested at his Chico home on October 27, 2025.

Ramsey stated that due to the prolonged nature of the abuse, he was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child. Scalice could face up to 16 years in state prison. Before sentenc

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