Photo: Stephen M. Kiesle
WALNUT CREEK — A former priest with a criminal history faces charges for gross vehicular manslaughter while allegedly driving drunk. His vehicle flipped over on its side, and he was extricated from it by the fire department.
Stephen M. Kiesle, 75, was arrested shortly afterward on April 16. Kiesle remains in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility in lieu of $250,000 bond.
Kiesle is a resident at the Rossmoor retirement community, where two pedestrians were struck at approximately 9 p.m. A husband and wife were walking along a sidewalk when a vehicle jumped the curb and hit them.
One of the victims, Curtis Gunn, 64, was fatally injured. Gunn was pronounced dead at a hospital. His wife sustained minor injuries and she received medical treatment.
Kiesle has been in trouble with the law—before and after being defrocked by the Roman Catholic Church in 1987. He has been the subject of sexual misconduct allegations dating back to the 1960s. He is also a registered sex offender.
His prior convictions for sex crimes resulted in prison sentences and/or probation. In 1978, he was convicted for lewd conduct involving tying up young boys. In 1995, he was convicted for molesting a young girl. In 2004, he was convicted for sexually abusing another young girl.
Pending charges involving the DUI and death of a man are being reviewed by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. Anyone with information about this case can contact Walnut Creek police at 925-935-6400.
