LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Authorities are searching for a city
councilman and former sex abuse investigator who has been charged
with numerous counts of child molestation.
Kevin Carney, a city councilman from Palmdale and a former
sheriff's sergeant, had not been located as of early today. An
arrest warrant for Carney was issued Wednesday after he was charged
with 17 felony counts of child molestation and one misdemeanor
charge of possessing child pornography.
Voters in Palmdale, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, elected
Carney to a council seat in November shortly after he was arrested
for investigation of lewd conduct with a 14-year-old girl. He was
freed on bail and denied the charges, calling them part of a dirty
smear campaign from his opponents.
The Antelope Valley Press reached Carney at home on Tuesday,
before the latest charges were filed but after sheriff's officials
indicated more charges were imminent.
``Obviously, I'm going to plead not guilty,'' he said, ``but I'm
not going to comment any further on the case.''
Carney, a 23-year sheriff's department veteran assigned to the
Lancaster station, retired a month after his arrest in October. At
one time, he was a leading sex abuse investigator, supervising
cases involving children.
He was removed from that detail in 1997 after being accused of
inappropriately touching two 9-year-olds.
While charges were not filed at the time, the charges filed
Wednesday involve that case.