CARNEY INQUIRY IS INCOMPLETE; AUTHORITIES TO SEEK DELAY IN POLITICIAN'S ARRAIGNMENT.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

The criminal investigation of Palmdale Councilman-elect Kevin Carney is not finished, and charges will not be filed in time for his scheduled arraignment on Monday, prosecutors said Friday.

Carney, a Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant and former high school trustee, was elected to the City Council Nov. 2 despite his arrest four days before on suspicion of molesting a 14-year-old family friend.

``We like to do a thorough investigation, and these things take time. We want to make sure we do a thorough job before we make a filing decision,'' said Deputy District Attorney Robert Dver with the special investigations division. ``The charges are very serious, and we are not going to be rushed into making an erroneous decision.''

Dver said he will ask the judge on Monday to continue Carney's arraignment. Carney could agree to the delay or object to it, at which point the judge will have to decide whether to postpone it or not, Dver said.

Carney is out on bail and remains on paid leave from the sheriff's department where he is a 23-year veteran. Neither he nor his attorney could be reached Friday for comment.

At a post-election news conference, Carney denied the charges and said his arrest was the result of ``certain people who don't want to see the balance of power shift in this valley.''

Carney was arrested on the morning of Oct. 29 at the 14-year-old girl's home. Carney described himself as a surrogate father to the girl, whose father is in Guam. Carney said he has even escorted the girl to father-daughter dinners.

Carney's attorney, Michael Paxton, said Carney received a phone call from the girl stating an emergency had occurred at her home. When Carney went there, he was arrested.

State law says a public official must give up his seat if he is convicted of a felony or any offense involving a violation of his official duty.

This is not the first time allegations have been lodged against Carney, a Palmdale resident for 14 years and father of three.

In 1997, shortly after Carney announced his candidacy for mayor, two 10-year-old neighbor girls accused him of touching them inappropriately. A month later, the District Attorney's Office announced it was not filing charges, citing insufficient evidence.

The investigation of Carney began the night before his arrest, when the girl's mother reported the allegations to authorities.

Deputies said the girl told her mother and the mother called the Lancaster sheriff's station, from which deputies were sent to their home to take a report.