PLEASANT GROVE, Utah, Jan. 5, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A Utah County man has been booked into the county jail on suspicion of crimes committed against multiple foster children placed in his care.
John E. Kimble, 57, has been booked on suspicion of 33 crimes:
- Three counts of sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony
- Twenty charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony
- Ten charges of lewdness, a class A misdemeanor
In addition, a note on the probable cause statement says that the filer, a Pleasant Grove Police officer, believes there is cause to charge Kimble with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony; 20 counts of manufacturing child pornography, a second degree felony; 200 counts of possession of child pornography, a second-degree felony; and 20 counts of voyeurism, a class A misdemeanor. Those additional charges have not yet been filed.
A probable cause statement says police were notified by an adult female that her foster brother, 15, had called her after finding a digital camera hidden in a candle holder in the bathroom of the Pleasant Grove residence.
The woman told police that the foster parent, Kimble, had been known to enter the bathroom immediately before and after any child resident used the bathroom to shower.
“The 15 year old stated that he verified that it was in fact a small black digital camera with a battery pack on the rear of the device,” the probable cause statement says.
The teen left the bathroom for about three minutes to get dressed, then returned to further inspect the camera and found it had been removed, the statement says.
“The adult complainant reported that she lived at the residence as a minor until June of 2018, and had seen the same hidden camera in the same bathroom, but did not report it to police out of fear of retaliation,” the statement says.
The complainant also told investigators her pre-teen brother, who John currently has legal custody of, still lives in the residence and has recently been “forced to strip naked in front of John and stand in front of him in John’s bedroom as punishment for misbehaving, therefore taking indecent liberties with the 10-year-old male.”
A search warrant served on Friday allowed investigators to collect electronic devices for storing photographs and videos.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, the statement says, Kimble admitted to having two hidden cameras.
“He stated that he used them to keep an eye on the kids in the home to make sure they did not do anything inappropriate,” the statement says.
“I asked him what I would see if I looked on the cameras and he indicated that I would find child pornography. He indicated that the individuals in the videos would be the male 15, 16 and 17 year-old juveniles that lived in the residence. I asked if he has ever touched them sexually and he stated, ‘No, I just like to look.'”
The officer wrote that “many tablets and other electronic devices that John said would likely contain child pornography were found and seized.”
Asked about the pre-teen boy he forced to disrobe Kimble said “he spanks the child when necessary … I asked him to explain why the child is naked and he said that the child is forced to take all of his clothes off so that he knows that he is about to be spanked.”
The statement said that more than 100 pictures and videos were found on Kimble’s devices, many depicting children engaged in sex acts.
The statement suggested that Kimble be held without bail. A judge however set Kimble’s bail at $295,000.
