Records: Former St. Vincent principal jailed after arrest warrant issued

Days after a warrant was issued for his arrest, records showed former St. Vincent de Paul College Prep Principal Patrick Daly was being held Monday at the Sonoma County jail.

Jail records show the 59-year-old was booked at 2:48 p.m. Monday and he’s scheduled to appear in Sonoma County Superior Court on Wednesday.

Petaluma police told the Argus-Courier last week the warrant was related to an embezzlement investigation involving at least $100,000.

The jail records did not list allegations against Daly or his bail amount. Court records showed no charges had been filed by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office as of Monday night.

An attorney for Daly could not be immediately reached for comment Monday.

Last August, the school abruptly fired Daly and sparked protests by dismayed students who supported the former principal.

Shortly after, the parochial school’s spiritual leader, the Rev. William Donahue, told the school community that Daly had spent thousands of dollars in “unauthorized charges” on a school credit card issued to the principal.

According to Donahue, Daly charged $52,000 in cash advances, $3,500 at the San Leandro Marina and $3,000 in pet-related expenses, among others.

Petaluma police Sgt. Ryan McGreevy said last week a criminal investigation into the allegations began in late August following Daly’s termination.

In March, Daly filed a lawsuit against the parish, the school and church leaders alleging wrongful termination, defamation and other allegations.

The matter centered on Petaluma’s only Catholic high school, which until late May was administered by the St. Vincent de Paul parish within the Diocese of Santa Rosa.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi