LA Sheriff's Detective Arrested For Rape, Witness Tampering

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A Los Angeles County Sheriff's detective was arrested last week on charges of sexual assault.

Neil Kimball, 45, a detective with the LASD Special Victims Bureau, was arrested late Friday night on suspicion of rape by force and preventing or dissuading a witness or victim from testifying.

He was taken into custody by the sheriff's department's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau, according to an LASD statement provided to CBS2.

Kimball was investigating the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl. According to the sheriff's department, he is accused of raping that same girl whose case he was assigned to investigate. The alleged sexual assault occurred in Ventura County in November 2017, and authorities there are assisting in the investigation, LASD said.

"The alleged conduct occurred during the scope of the employee's assignment with the Special Victims Bureau," the statement read.

LASD had been investigating Kimball for about six weeks prior to his arrest. The investigation was prompted by a tip from the public, LASD reports. Kimball had checked himself into a medical facility in August, which is where he was arrested last Friday. Deputies had to get a court order to remove Kimball from the facility and take him into custody.

Kimball was relieved of duty with pay, according to the sheriff's department. He is a 20-year veteran of the LASD. He has been with the Special Victims Bureau since 2013.

CBS2 has learned that in February of 2009, Kimball was accused of trying to make a woman touch him against her will during the course of an investigation he was conducting. The L.A. County district attorney's office investigated, but concluded it did not have enough evidence to prosecute him.

Kimball is currently in a protected cell in the L.A. County men's jail, but was expected to be transported to a Ventura County jail on Wednesday. If Ventura County prosecutors file charges against him, he could make a court appearance next week.

Kimball was being held on $2 million bail. There was no immediate word on when Kimball might appear in court.