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	Former Priest Convicted of Sex Abuse, Assault Dies By Kim Curtis The Associated Press, carried in San Francisco Chronicle [California] September 15, 2006 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/09/15/ state/n123831D62.DTL&hw=priest&sn=001&sc=1000 (09-15) 14:53 PDT San Francisco (AP) — A former Sonoma County priest who was once a charismatic, nationally renowned youth minister but was later put on trial for sexually abusing children has died, authorities said Friday. The body of Donald Wren Kimball, 62, was found around 6 a.m. in the Windsor home of a friend, Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Duke said. Police found "no evidence to indicate criminal activity," he said. A jury acquitted Kimball of raping a 14-year-old girl in 1977. The woman testified during his 2002 trial that Kimball raped her behind the altar of a Santa Rosa church and later paid for her abortion. The same jury convicted Kimball of molesting a 13-year-old girl in 1981 in his room at a Healdsburg rectory. That conviction was overturned the following year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law extending the statute of limitations for sex crimes involving children. The alleged victims each received about $120,000 after the church settled their civil suits against him. Kimball also served prison time for his February 2003 conviction for felony assault and vandalism. He shoved a San Francisco Chronicle photographer's camera into her face, then grabbed it and threw it on the floor. The assault took place in the courthouse during his molestation trial. Kimball, who was ordained in 1969, became a hip youth leader who allegedly used his charm and popularity to coerce teenage girls to have sex with him. He rose to national prominence in his early 30s with an award-winning radio show aimed at young people and was known for a ministry that mixed God's word with rock 'n' roll. Abuse allegations against Kimball first became public in 1997, when a lawsuit was filed against him by four people, including a brother and sister who said he molested both of them. Criminal charges were filed in 2000 — the same year he was formally removed from the priesthood by Pope John Paul II. During his 2002 trial, the former bishop of Santa Rosa admitted learning about Kimball's sexual misconduct in 1987, but said he initally made little effort to follow up. In 1990, after Kimball acknowledged having sexual contact with six young girls, Bishop John Steinbock, now bishop of Fresno, forced Kimball to give up his youth ministry and suspended him from performing priestly duties. More than 12,000 U.S. Catholic priests have been accused of abuse since 1950, according to reports commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Nationally, the clergy sex abuse scandal has cost American dioceses at least $1.5 billion since 1950.
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