Police Analyze Diary From Judge's Computer

By Bill Rams and Aldrin Brown for The Orange County Register
Originally published in The Orange County Register, February 17, 2002

Police investigators are analyzing a document written in diary form that suggests a local judge accused of child molestation may have used his position as a Little League umpire to ogle dozens of underage boys and to get close to one boy to whom he was attracted.

The document, recovered by police from the computer of Orange County Superior Court Judge Ronald C. Kline, contains no mention of sexual contact with the underage boys.

But detectives are scouring the document's seemingly detailed accounts of meetings and conversations with boys for evidence of potential crimes.

"We authenticated the diary before we acted on it," said Irvine police Sgt. Tom Little. "We made sure it wasn't authored by somebody out to discredit the judge."

Kline, 61, is under house arrest awaiting trial on federal charges of possessing child pornography and on state charges of allegedly molesting a boy nearly 25 years ago, before he was a judge.

Kline, who remains a candidate for re-election in the March 5 election, declined comment.

His attorney, Paul S. Meyer, issued a statement criticizing the distribution of the diary.