15-Year-Old Sexual Assault Victim Was Abused by Detective Investigating Her Case

Harriet Sokmensuer
15-Year-Old Sexual Assault Victim Also Abused by Detective

A Los Angeles County sex crimes detective accused of raping a 15-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse and lewd act with a child, PEOPLE confirms.

In 2017, detective Neil David Kimball, 46, began investigating the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl while serving in the Los Angeles County Special Victims Bureau. During his investigation, Kimball befriended the girl and later had sex with her while she allegedly was bound and tied, Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten announced in a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

The incident took place in Kimball’s trailer in Camarillo, according to the New York Times. The 20-year-veteran was originally charged with rape but authorities were unable to determine whether Kimball used force.

On July 13, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges. On Aug. 8 he is expected to be sentenced to three years in prison.

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This is not the first time Kimball has been investigated for inappropriate behavior with sex assault victims, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In 2009, a woman alleged Kimball had grabbed her hand and tried to get her to touch his genitals, the Times reports. When authorities attempted to investigate, witnesses gave contradictory statements and the case was eventually dropped.

Despite the accusation, Kimball was asked to join the Special Victims Bureau later that year.

In December, a California woman revealed she had reported Kimball to officials in 2014 after he allegedly had been inappropriate and flirtatious with her while investigating her sexual assault case.

“It was like trying to complain to a brick wall,” Sara Abusheikh told the Daily Beast. “It just makes you think, ‘How many other women are there that tried to complain about this guy?’”

Attorney information for Kimball was unavailable Wednesday. Kimball will have to register as a sex offender.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to http://www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.