Testimony began Monday in the trial of former Sonoma Valley Boys and Girls Club athletic director Paul “Dwayne” Kilgore, 68, who is charged with five counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child and two counts of continued sexual abuse of a child.
“This is a case of a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” deputy ?district attorney Javier Vaca told the predominantly female jury. He said that after hearing the testimony of the boys as well as three past victims – now adults who are not included in the current charges – that he is confident that the jury will find Kilgore guilty of all counts.
Kilgore, dressed in a light blue Oxford shirt, listened intently from the defense table alongside his defense attorney, Lynnette Brown.
In her opening statements, Brown described the accusations against Kilgore as a “misunderstanding” that has just “snowballed.” She described Kilgore as a church-going “mentor” to the Sonoma Valley boys who was teaching them about puberty in his role overseeing the local Boys & Girls Club’s “Smart Boys Club.”
Kilgore was arrested on Aug. 28, 2016, at his Academy Lane residence where he lived with a sister and elderly father, the day after a member of Parkpoint Health Club in Healdsburg reported seeing him in a hot tub and showering with two young Hispanic boys, ages 11 and 12.
That witness, Healdsburg School head Nick Egan, took the stand on Monday to describe the sequence of events that caused him to report his concerns, first to the health club staff and later that evening to the Healdsburg police.
In his testimony on Monday, Egan, who is head of school at the Healdsburg School, described overhearing what he characterized as “inappropriate” conversations between Kilgore and the boys, and watching their interaction in a hot tub and showers and Kilgore’s weighing of the younger boy, all while naked.
Numerous photos of the inside of the health club were entered into evidence to ascertain Egan’s view and perspective.
Three adults who allege misconduct by Kilgore in San Bruno in the 1980s are expected to take the stand next as witnesses for the prosecution.
The three victims in the case being tried currently, one of which is the younger boy in the health club, are expected to take the stand later this week to describe an alleged pattern of abuse over a five-year period.
Sitting alongside prosecutor Vaca for the duration of the trial is Officer Craig Smith, the Healdsburg police detective who has led the investigation. Smith is expected to take the stand to describe the results of the search of Kilgore’s house, car and storage locker.
Kilgore has been behind bars in the Sonoma County jail for almost 18 months, unable to post a $1 million bail. The charges filed against him carry 25 years to life in prison if he is convicted. Supervising Criminal Judge Robert LaForge is presiding over the case.
Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.
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