$1-Million Bail Stands for Accused Molestor

A Superior Court judge Thursday refused to lower the $1-million bail for Kevin Wright Carney, the former Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant and Palmdale city councilman accused of molesting four Antelope Valley girls.

Despite pleas from Carney, his wife, two sons and a brother, Judge Larry Fidler said the bail amount was appropriate given the seriousness of the 17 felony child molestation charges filed in January.

“His greatest strength is also his greatest weakness,” Fidler said of Carney’s law enforcement career. Because of Carney’s possible “violation of trust” as a longtime sheriff’s deputy, Fidler said the $1-million bail was appropriate and set a trial date for March 23 in Judge Jacqueline Connor’s courtroom.

During Thursday’s hearing, family members pleaded with Fidler to lower Carney’s bail. They said Carney, 48, who once served as a school board president and supervisor of a sheriff’s child abuse unit, is a respected community leader who would never dishonor the family by not showing up for trial.

“Yesterday was our silver anniversary. What a way to celebrate it,” testified Carney’s wife, Kathleen. “I’ve known him for 30 years. I love him with all my heart. I know he’s innocent. It just breaks my heart to see this.”

She said two of the alleged victims still live across the street from her family, and her husband never has contact with them.

In 1997, the two girls, who were then ages 8 and 7, were allegedly molested by Carney when they visited him at his house to see his water turtle collection. The case was investigated by the district attorney’s office at that time, but no charges were filed. But in January, the girls’ cases resurfaced among the 17 felony charges against Carney.

On Thursday, Carney told Fidler that ever since the 1997 allegations and investigation, he has had no contact with the neighbors’ girls and he would show up for his court hearings if his bail was lowered.

“I’ve been in law enforcement for 23 years,” Carney said. “I’ve never run from anything in my life.”

Carney’s attorney, Milton Grimes, said a $100,000 bail was reasonable given that his client had already posted that amount when he was first arrested Oct. 29.

That arrest was triggered when a 14-year-old girl, who is a friend of the Carney family, went to the Lancaster sheriff’s station and said she had been molested by the sergeant. Four days later, Carney was elected to the Palmdale City Council.

Since the January charges and his second arrest, Carney has resigned from both the council and the Sheriff’s Department. He has been held at Men’s Central Jail. His bail originally was set at $2 million, but it was reduced to $1 million.

If convicted of all charges, Carney faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.