Fr. Stephen M. Kiesle

Kiesle had a long history of sexually abusing boys and girls. He was convicted in 1978 of lewd conduct for tying up and sexually abusing two boys; sentenced to three years probation. He was allowed by the Diocese in 1979 to work as a fill-in priest in a Windsor CA parish. Left the priesthood in 1981. Laicized in 1987. Volunteer youth minister in the mid-1980s at St. Joseph’s in Pinole. Arrested in 2002 on 13 counts of child molestation; all but two dropped in 2003 due to the statute of limitations. Sentenced in 2004 to six years in prison for abuse of a girl in 1995. May have abused at least ten girls. Kiesle said that if girls said abuse happened then he was sure it did. Released in 2009. Civil suits filed. Registered sex offender, living in Walnut Creek, CA. Two more suits with seven accusers in 8/2010. Accused in a 10/2018 suit against the Vatican of abuse 1972-1974 of a girl, ages 11-13. On the Diocese’s list in 2019. A lawsuit in 12/2019 alleges abuse of boy, age 10-11, in the 1970s. At least 60 legal claims in the Diocese of Oakland against Kiesle were filed during a “lookback window” which lifted the statute of limitations in 2020 for three years. A suit filed on 3/2/2020 claims abuse a of 5-year-old boy for over a year in Pinole in 1985. Accused in two 2/2021 suits, of abusing a girl in one and a boy in the other, 1972-1975, in Pinole. A lawsuit filed against the Diocese in 1/2022 claims abuse 1972-1975 of a young boy in Pinole. Kiesle would give the boy wine, then molest him. The victim’s adult children filed the lawsuit; their father had filed suit in 3/2020, but he died a few days later of cirrhosis and the suit was dismissed. Kiesle was arrested in 4/2022, charged with killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. He pleaded no contest in 12/2023. Sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in state prison.