Donald Kimball
Encyclopedia
Donald Wren Kimball was a Roman Catholic priest
with a radio ministry
directed toward youth, until he was removed from the priesthood over allegations of sexual abuse
.
. His father was killed during World War II
.
Kimball graduated from St. Vincent de Paul High School
in Petaluma, California
, and attended St. Joseph's Seminary in Mountain View, California
.
In the 1970s he developed a religious radio
program that targeted young people. The award-winning show blended top 40 pop music
with Bible
teachings.
teenage girls into having sex with him. In 1990 he acknowledged having sexual contact with six young girls, and church officials forced him to give up his youth ministry. He was also suspended from performing priestly duties.
Pope John Paul II
formally removed Kimball from the priesthood in 2000, the same year criminal sex abuse charges were filed against Kimball.
In 2002, Kimball was acquitted
of raping
a 14-year-old girl in 1977, but convicted of molesting a 13-year-old girl in 1981. The conviction was overturned in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a California
law extending the statute of limitations
for sex crimes involving children.
Kimball later served prison time for his conviction on charges of felony
assault
and vandalism
stemming from the 2002 trial. Kimball had shoved the camera of a San Francisco Chronicle
reporter into her face and then threw the camera onto the floor.
. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department
said there were no signs of criminal activity, though an autopsy
was planned.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
with a radio ministry
Christian ministry
In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith. 2003's Encyclopedia of Christianity defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", indicating that it is "conferred on each Christian in baptism." It is performed by all Christians...
directed toward youth, until he was removed from the priesthood over allegations of sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
.
Early life
Kimball was born in Santa Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
. His father was killed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Kimball graduated from St. Vincent de Paul High School
St. Vincent de Paul High School (Petaluma, California)
St. Vincent de Paul High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Petaluma, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in CaliforniaSince 2004, Dr. John Walker has served as principal.-External links:*...
in Petaluma, California
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
, and attended St. Joseph's Seminary in Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
.
In the 1970s he developed a religious radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program that targeted young people. The award-winning show blended top 40 pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
with Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
teachings.
Scandal
Kimball was accused of using his charm and popularity to coerceCoercion
Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. In law, coercion is codified as the duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way...
teenage girls into having sex with him. In 1990 he acknowledged having sexual contact with six young girls, and church officials forced him to give up his youth ministry. He was also suspended from performing priestly duties.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
formally removed Kimball from the priesthood in 2000, the same year criminal sex abuse charges were filed against Kimball.
In 2002, Kimball was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
of raping
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
a 14-year-old girl in 1977, but convicted of molesting a 13-year-old girl in 1981. The conviction was overturned in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
law extending the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
for sex crimes involving children.
Kimball later served prison time for his conviction on charges of felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
stemming from the 2002 trial. Kimball had shoved the camera of a San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
reporter into her face and then threw the camera onto the floor.
Death
Kimball's body was discovered in the home of a friend in Windsor, CaliforniaWindsor, California
Windsor is an incorporated town in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 26,801 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:Windsor is located on U.S. Route 101 in the Russian River valley, about southeast of Healdsburg, California....
. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Department
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
said there were no signs of criminal activity, though an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
was planned.
See also
- Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal
- Roman Catholic priests accused of sex offenses
- Crimen sollicitationisCrimen sollicitationisCrimen sollicitationis is the title of a 1962 document of the Holy Office codifying procedures to be followed in cases of priests or bishops of the Catholic Church accused of having used the sacrament of Penance to make sexual advances to penitents.It repeated, with additions, the contents of an...