Ex-L.A. County sheriff’s detective receives three-year sentence

Must register as sex offender after assaulting girl, 15, in Ventura County

Kimball

Kimball

An Agoura Hills resident and former detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was sentenced to a maximum three years in state prison for unlawful sexual intercourse and committing a lewd act on a child.

Neil Kimball, 46, was working as an investigator with the special victims unit of the sheriff’s department when met his 15-year-old victim in 2017. He was investigating a separate case of an assault against her in Los Angeles County. Kimball befriended the girl and sexually assaulted her while working on her case, the Ventura County district attorney said.

The crimes took place between Oct. 1 and Dec. 21, 2017.

Kimball is a 20-year veteran of the sheriff’s department. He pleaded guilty to the charges last month as part of an agreement with the district attorney.

In addition to his prison sentence, Kimball has been ordered to register as a sex offender and pay $50,000 to the victim for her pain and suffering. He is also barred from having any contact with the victim.

The case against Kimball was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and prosecuted by the Ventura County district attorney’s sexual assault and family protection unit.

Before being taken into custody, Kimball was living in a medical facility for unknown reasons. Investigators obtained an order to remove him from the facility, at which point he was arrested.

He was off-duty and not working on cases for the special victims unit during his period of medical treatment, according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.

­Ian Bradley