Criminal
Jul. 23, 2002
Jurist Must Stand Trial for Molestation Charges
SANTA ANA - Orange County Judge Ronald Kline, facing allegations that he sexually abused and stalked a teen-age boy, will stand trial on state charges that he repeatedly engaged in oral sex acts with boy, who was 14.
After a three-hour preliminary hearing Friday in Norwalk, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered Kline, 61, to stand trial on five counts of oral copulation with a person under 16.
According to testimony by Detective Ronald Carr, the Irvine police investigator on the case, the alleged victim, known as John Doe to protect his identity, said he was unsure how many times Kline sexually abused him.
Carr testified that the teen told him that anywhere from two to four molestations took place at Kline's two homes in Irvine.
A fifth count of oral copulation took place in a community hot tub, where the teen said he first met Kline swimming naked, Carr testified.
With the number of times Kline allegedly sexually abused the boy in dispute, Judge Daniel Solis Pratt said there was insufficient evidence to be presented at trial. But he said prosecutors had enough evidence to show probable cause, which allows the setting of a trial. Pratt said he will set a trial date Aug. 9.
Kline also faces charges in federal court of possessing hundreds of images on his computer of children engaging in sexual activities. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The federal trial is scheduled for Nov. 12.
In asking Carr what the teen told him about the alleged molestation, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Jana Hoffmann introduced hearsay evidence. Such testimony was barred before passage of Proposition 115 in 1990. Under the proposition, victims of sexual abuse are not required to appear at a preliminary hearing for their own protection.
Defense attorney Paul S. Meyer asked Carr what became of a 1980 Irvine police report detailing Kline's alleged stalking of the teen reported by the teen's concerned parents.
Carr testified that the report was destroyed and that he had not been able to locate another copy. Meyer, along with defense attorneys William Kopeny and Edward P. George, believe that, if the report is found, it would prove the one-year statute of limitations in the case was up 22 years ago.
Kline has been under house arrest since November. He recently withdrew from the campaign to keep his judicial seat. He continues to draw his $136,000-a-year salary.
Jenna Bordelon
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