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By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – An arraignment is scheduled for next week for a Centralia woman accused of having a sexual relationship with a male 20 years her junior while he was a resident of Green Hill School and she was employed as a juvenile rehabilitation counselor.
The complaint was made by the alleged victim in the summer of 2016, but criminal charges were just filed last month in Lewis County Superior Court.
Katherine M. Kimbrel, 41, was summonsed to appear before a judge on Tuesday and was allowed release pending trial on a $5,000 unsecured bond.
The alleged incidents occurred between Jan. 1, 2013, when the alleged victim was 15 years old, and continued through Dec. 31, 2015 after he turned 18, according to charging documents.
Green Hill in Chehalis is run by the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, a division of the Department of Social and Health Services. It’s a secure facility in Chehalis that provides older, male offenders education and vocational training.
The alleged victim, now 20, said he and Kimbrel had sexual contact which continued when he was in custody at the the juvenile detection center’s Touchstone Community facility in Olympia, according to charging documents. Touchstone is a transitional facility.
He said on several occasions she picked him up from his workplace in Olympia and took him to her apartment, Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer wrote in the court documents.
Kimbrel allegedly admitted to an unprofessional sexual relationship with the teen both inside and outside the Green Hill School facility, but denied any physical contact inside the facility, according to Meyer. She was interviewed by a detective Bjorkman and by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Meyer wrote.
Meyer indicates she said she did not report some actions, because she was afraid she would be blamed and lose her job. Numerous incomplete sentences in the charging documents leave it unclear which facility is the setting related to some of the various statements.
Meyer states in the charging documents that prior to the alleged victim coming forward on Aug. 13, 2016, three additional allegations regarding Kimbrel were investigated but screened out for lack of evidence.
She was charged on Jan. 9 with first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and first-degree custodial sexual misconduct, both of which are offenses with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. She was also charged with communication with a minor for immoral purposes, a gross misdemeanor.
Kimbrel was ordered to undergo administrative booking at the Lewis County Jail. Defense attorney Jacob Clark was appointed to represent her.
The arraignment is set for next Thursday in Lewis County Superior Court.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
It’s only right that they make an example out of this woman for her actions. She was giving power and she missed used it. Against are boys who are the children from are greater Washington State. imagine if that young man was a girl and a man took advantage of her.
I would say it’s time the courts and judges here need to start doing their job when it comes to sentencing people that abuse or sexually take advantage of kids and also the people that abuse animals here with nothing more than a slap on the wrist if even that which certainly accomplishes nothing and is no kind of deterrent to stop their sick behavior but then what can you expect when the judges aren’t much better considering their getting sued themselves for unexceptable bad behavior. When city officials are sued is it the taxpayers that pay for it which wouldn’t make any sense at all if that’s true. How would that be any kind of punishment if it is the taxpayers that get punished for a city officials crime?? I apologize if I’m incorrect about this
I love the description of Green Hill as a “secure facility that provide…educational and vocational training”.
It is the maximum secuity correctional facility for juveniles in WA State. We just use softer words when desribing juvenile corrections.
That said, having sexual relations with the juveniles held there by an adult is, in my mind, the same type of violation as teachers and students. The adults are in a position of power and that increases the level of violation for the juveniles.
If convicted there should be an enhancement feature due to the violation of the trust and power.
I believe another court should be trying this child rapist! That is what she is a Child Molester! She used her position to get to these vulnerable children & used their situations as an advantage point & abused these boys/girls! How as a community are we allowing this to be done? She admitted 100% she had sexual relationships w a CHILD! But was only worried that everyone knew that she did not do this at work! Yeah that makes a difference idiot! Idc where u did it and Obviously she did something’s at work to know she could pick him up out of work! She is playing that judge & everyone involved! Are u that stupid guys?! Really?!!!!!Also is the prosecutor not a family friend to this woman? How is that not compromising a case?
If my recollection is right the last dshs child rapist/ counselor got off with a slap on the wrist. Three prior allogations Screened out due of evidence? Is that a fancy way of allowing and acknowledging rape? Sounds like we have a child rape culture at dshs who runs Green Hill. These monsters should rot in jail to send a clear message to rest of these flunkys working for the state that rehabilitation of juveniles is not a running joke and that using a position of power to sexually abuse minors is not To be tolerated male or female.