Wenatchee Police Detective Robert Perez tenaciously pursued his investigation into stories of sexual predators who victimized children - sometimes their own children. Now,Fox Nationsearches for such answers, as former prosecutor and 'Crime Stories' host Nancy Graceprovides insight intothe story that changed a town forever. National experts are split on whether the benefit of recording such statements outweighs potential problems. Most were investigated, some were not - the information lost in a shuffle of supervisors. In 1994 a child sexual abuse investigation was launched in the rural western Washington apple-growing city of Wenatchee.By the time it was over, forty-three adults were charged with twenty-nine thousand counts of rape and molestation of sixty children. So when he started bragging, she picked up the phone and called the Rape Crisis Center. The last imprisoned defendant was released in Dec. 2000. The day after Cherie Town called the Rape Crisis Center, Perez stopped by briefly. Ifat trial, a prosecutoris never requiredtoascertain or to prove a motive. . 500 Park Ave West . After a family acquaintance was convicted of molesting the girl, Child Protective Services stepped in. The Unraveling Of A Monstrous Secret -- Sex-Abuse Scandal Has Wenatchee Reeling Jun 8, 1995 Marla Williams, Dee Norton IT BEGAN AS a case involving one man raping his two young boys. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. App. During Plaintiff's discussion with Defendant Detective Perez on June 3, 1994, Plaintiff made a detailed statement wherein he admitted to sexually abusing his daughter Jessica in Moses Lake and in Wenatchee, as well as sexually abusing his three other daughters, Sarah, Jennifer, and Carrie in Wenatchee and elsewhere. [12], In 1997, Pastor Roby and Connie Roberson attended the "Day of Contrition" conference in Salem, Massachusetts, along with other victims and experts of the day-care sex-abuse hysteria.[6][87][88]. Elegant new homes, perched on the brown ridges above town, attest to the community's expanding wealth. Down at the station, seated alongside the detective's desk, Cherie Town answered questions for a long time. Melinda Everett, now 28, a plaintiff in the sex-abuse case, lived for a brief time in the home of detective, Robert Perez, while he investigated the case. Rose, then 26, maintained his innocence. Cherie and Meredith Town's former residence, 610 Mission St., is within an easy five-minute walk. As it is elsewhere, the haves and have-nots don't often mingle. If I were an investigator charged with investigating the cases today, Id do it exactly the same way, Perez said in 2004. Q. "Clearly, there is risk of embellishment," Berlin said. Devereaux's 15-year-old accuser was Glassen's responsibility, one of dozens of kids on his case list. . A friend of Perez's foster daughter claimed that on one occasion, "Pastor Roby" asked the girl into his shag-carpeted office off the sanctuary. They had no idea, of course, of the difficulties that lay ahead; no hint of conspiracy; no clue that an incestuous ring of pedophiles, the likes of which has never been proved in this country, might be operating in Wenatchee. to the police station for questioning. Perez found the older boy, who is mentally disabled, eager to please but very afraid of what might happen if his father found out "he told." Perez, 60, of Waterville died on Dec.. He was also told that his 15-year-old accuser had recanted during a conversation with her caseworker, Paul Glassen. Many of the adults arrested as a result. Fox Nation'sIn the Valley of Sindocumentsthe perseverance and resilience of the accused and their supporters in the face of overwhelming odds, untold suffering, and unthinkable accusations. . In this appeal, the City contends that the superior court's orders vacating the defense verdicts and ordering a new trial constituted an abuse of discretion; i.e., the City's position is that . Defense attorneys questioned the foundation of the charges, citing physician diagnoses that revealed "the alleged victims suffered from various forms of psychological problems including attention-deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychotic disorders and other impairments.". Sheriff Allan Joseph Weber; Grafton County Sheriff's Department, New Hampshire. Green later recanted and pleaded innocent of all charges. The younger boy, located at school, gave a similar account. That secret allegedly was shared by at least two dozen adults and some 50 children said to be members of "The Circle." ", Defense attorneys for Cherie Town asked the court to quash the confession, arguing that she is of "substantially low IQ" and "believed that if she told Perez what he wanted to hear, she would not get in serious trouble." The second time, she climbed into bed with them. The room's only memorable feature is an oversized Pink Panther that lounges at the desk of Detective Robert Perez, sex-crimes investigator. Shetland: With Alison O'Donnell, Steven Robertson, Douglas Henshall, Lewis Howden. Bob Perez died last Thursday at Central Washington Hospital, according to. I was with the District Attorneys Office in inner-city Atlanta for over a solid year, handling felonies in various capacities every single day, before I prosecuted a child molestation case ---much less allegations of this magnitude. Along with drinking, sex was the family's primary diversion. The point? Police Officer Jose A. Perez 4/27/1994. They entered Alford pleas, the process by which defendants maintain innocence but acknowledge they would be found guilty at trial. 6, No. It took years of mental health treatment for the case to proceed against Alan Dean in the killing of Melissa Lee. He says homicide is different from all others: "I think one of the most stressful jobs that I've had . Devereaux asked, "What do I have to do to stay out of jail?" (Court's Memorandum Decision on Reference Hearing, Ct. Rec. But by the time Detective Robert Perez completed his investigation, 24 people in Wenatchee had been accused in a child sex-abuse scandal. [72][73] The last lawsuit against the authorities in these cases was settled in 2009, with the children of Harold and Idella Everett, who initially made an Alford plea (pled no contest),[74] receiving $120,000. On March 13, 1995, Perez put Donna in his police car with two social services caseworkers and they drove through Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. Sadie Knowles), described as "low IQ",[77] and "who described herself as developmentally disabled", said "I pleaded guilty to something I didn't understand," and must continue to register as a sex offender. Perez, who was called to the stand by the defense, has testified that barely a month after he was promoted from uniformed patrolman to Wenatchee's only child sex crimes investigator in January. More than 40 adults have been charged, and 28 are in prison, as a result of an investigation led by Wenatchee Police detective Robert Perez, who has been criticized for his methods, including a . That we must always remain ever vigilant. Perez served over 200 days in Ventura County Jail after holding his girlfriend hostage at his Oxnard home in July of 2007. . "Finally, I just told him to write whatever . But Wenatchee police Detective Robert Perez, the foster father . 2d 33 | Casetext Search + Citator", "Wenatchee Witchhunt on Dateline, November 1995", "Part I, b - Detective a man who charmed, harmed", "Robert Perez Police Department Evaluation", "Ex-Wenatchee sex crime detective Bob Perez dies", "Bob Perez, driving force in discredited sex abuse cases, dies | Local News", "Author Fights Sex-Ring Case Subpoena | the Spokesman-Review", "Writer Need Not Reveal Sources in Wenatchee Sex-Ring Cases | the Spokesman-Review", "Child sex ring book gets mixed reviews | Northwest", "One Brave Soul's Crusade for Truth About Wenatchee | the Seattle Times", "Wenatchee Witch Hunt and the Doggett Family", "Wenatchee Couple's Rape Conviction is Overturned | the Seattle Times", "State v. Carol M.D, 89 Wn. [79] Sadie Hughes (a.k.a. That suggestion was ultimately rejected in Olympia as "discriminatory.". Many defendants were coerced into confessing by the same detective. 2", Wenatchee Witch Hunt: Child Sex Abuse Trials In Douglas and Chelan Counties, Concerned Citizens for Legal Accountability, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wenatchee_child_abuse_prosecutions&oldid=1140842856, Day care sexual abuse allegations in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 01:34. Police Officer Andrew Robert MacDonald Perez claimed in the lawsuit that he was retaliated against by City Manager Rob Mayes and former police chiefs James Runnels and Kyle Westall after he provided a deposition in a former sergeants' age discrimination lawsuit. The detective responsible for the witch hunt, Robert "Bob" Perez, having incarcerated 43 adults with almost 30,000 counts of child rape and molestation, had become the lead detective of the. Viewers will see the story of Wenatchee sex crimes detective Bob Perez, whose 9-year-old foster daughter, Donna Everett, becomes the impetus for the wild accusations that unfold. Attorney Robert Perez has dedicated his life to representing people accused of serious crimes. . Yes, exonerations were ultimately achieved, but the fabric of so many lives was torn so violently, thosechildren and adultscan never go back to what they were before. They sat down together and, as Luci Perez listened, the child described unconscionable acts of sexual abuse by her parents. "Children's disclosures may be confusing and inconsistent. Perez was named the department's chief sex crimes investigator in January 1994, even though he had no formal training. Pride takes many forms, including a thirst for power and an unabashed arrogance.Q. In March, with her parents in prison, the Everett child began making new allegations: Dozens of adults had regularly forced her and countless other children to have sex. [17], Prosecutors were unable to provide any physical evidence to support the charges against the Robersons. A.I generally consider "fake news" to be sensationalized accounts generated by the media. Physically assaultive behavior in the role of foster parent by Detective Robert Perez. It did not take long for Perez to get a confession from Idella Everett, who said her husband had threatened her if she did not go along with the abuse of the children. Roberson had been looking into whether Perez was railroading poor, uneducated people into jail and had publicly spoken against the arrest of people like Harold and Idella Everett, who sometimes attended the church. Text. Fox Nationprograms are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but only for Fox Nation subscribers. I understand. . [13][14], Many of the people convicted were poor, had intellectual disabilities and were on welfare, and their lawyers stated that their guilty pleas were coerced. [29][30][31], In 1999, the Washington state legislature passed the "Perez Bill" which required child abuse investigators to keep accurate records of their interviews and forbade them from investigating cases involving their own children. A few days later, Child Protective Services concluded that the allegations of sexual abuse were "unsubstantiated," adding that police investigators had found "nothing prosecutable." He was born on October 17, 1953, in Ohio, to Ricardo and Anne (Tempe) Perez. [60] This work formed the basis of Lyon's 1998 book, Witch Hunt: A True Story of Social Hysteria and Abused Justice. Unable to afford the $1,000,000 bail for each, they were held in jail where Robert was beaten. 77 | Casetext Search + Citator", "3 Settle Suit Resulting From Child Sex Case", "City's sex-case settlement with Roberson: $700,000 | Local News", "City ordered to pay after withholding records in child sex lawsuit", "Roberson Says He's Due Credit Pastor Wants Talks with Media Counted as Community Service | the Spokesman-Review", "Sex-Ring Defendant Can't Just do Pr Work, State Says Roberson Must Come up with Better Plan for Community Service Work | the Spokesman-Review", "Man jailed in Wenatchee child-sex case is set free | Northwest", "Wenatchee-Current Status: Arrests, Convictions, Dismissals", "Lesser settlement stands in sex-abuse civil case | Local News", "Woman must continue to register as sex offender: 'Sex ring' subject vows to fight on", "TV Reporter's Stories on Alleged Sex Ring Cited | the Spokesman-Review", "Silver Batons: Medium Market Television", "Grant Wins 'Pulitzer of Broadcasting' | the Spokesman-Review", "KREM-TV, Investigative Reporting on the Wenatchee Child Sex Ring | 1997 duPont-Columbia Award Winner in 1997 duPont Winners on Vimeo", "Reporters at Odds in Sex Ring Case Some May Have Saved Innocent, Others May Have Fed Flames | the Spokesman-Review", "FMSF Newsletter - February 1, 1997 - Vol. Between tears, Green explained the abuse happened one Easter weekend when Laura and Selid Holt dropped their three kids - a 12-year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy - off for a two-week stay at her home. "It's a witch hunt, pure and simple," said Bob Kinkade, self-appointed leader of the local chapter of Victims of Child Abuse Laws. "He wore me down and made me mad . Striding down the hallway of the county courthouse - tall, fair, well-built, with a sidearm and handcuffs visible under his leather jacket - he is the image of righteous justice. Individually and as a group, the accused were isolated from society's mainstream. Q. After months of patient care, Luci Perez felt she was finally gaining the girl's trust. And Idella, threatened with a beating from her husband, had held the children down, then molested them herself. . Perez, 60, of Waterville died Dec. 12. Early Life Personal Interviewed in jail where she is awaiting trial, Donna Hidalgo claimed innocence. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. . Glassen was arrested for witness tampering, police suspecting he had pressured the girl to change her statement on behalf of Devereaux. Debate rages in Wenatchee and across the country over whether children are reliable witnesses. But it wasn't until the couple divorced and Maxine left the house that allegations surfaced. Tim Abbey, the Supervisor of Child Protective Services at the time of the Wenatchee sex crime investigation, had no doubt done his part in aiding Perez having dismissed an alleged victims recantation, facilitating the arrest of the caseworker whod brought the very admission to his attention, and even forcing hospitalization at a mental facility for any children whod been uncooperative witnesses in the prosecution of their parents. Bob Perez Led by Detective Perez, police and Washington State social workers began a vigorous investigation. "What I will say is that I have confidence Officer Perez, Bob, has done an outstanding job under very difficult circumstances," said Wenatchee Police Chief Ken Bagdley. Her confession, together with statements by Perez' foster daughter and a 13-year-old friend, bound together the various abuse cases. View memorials for all fallen law enforcement officers from the New York City Police Department, New York. Reed, 43 at the time, pleaded guilty to two counts of child molestation. . The lawsuit alleges it. App. By 2004, the city of Wenatchee had paid out more than $7 million in jury awards and settlements to claimants who were falsely accused. Perez didn't believe Devereaux and told him so. The 9-year-old had asked if they could talk. [41][42] The judges had earlier asked for a visiting judge to investigate. In the Wenatchee investigation, lies were originally generated by a particular detective and those around him who blindly accepted his premise and not only enabled it, but allowed it to mushroom into the debacle it became. Criticism of the probe centered on Wenatchee police detective Robert Perez, who some say became obsessed with ridding the area of pedophiles and used testimony from his two foster daughters, ages . The interviews took place at the children's schools or foster homes. But the cases against Town and Green and 15 others were overturned on appeal after evidence emerged that suspects, children and other defendants were coercively questioned by Wenatchee Police Detective Bob Perez, and bullied into signing statements the detective typed for them. IT BEGAN AS a case involving one man raping his two young boys. . The Devereauxs were warned there could be problems. . [48][49], In 1996, a consultant, retired Bellevue Police Chief D.P. [45], Washington Governor Mike Lowry requested a federal review,[2][44][46] but U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno declined to involve the national Justice Department in these cases. Hernandez, 52, faced life in. Two key victims were in Perezs foster care at the time. Attempting to leave Wenatchee quietly, he stopped by the Douglas County sheriff's office to purchase a trip permit for his rig. All rights reserved. . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. No. . [9][23][67] The Robersons and Sims settled with the state of Washington for $850,000 in a case that was split off from a suit against the police due to a clerical error. Glassen's wife is Canadian, so they packed and moved to British Columbia. Would she please stop by the station? "My own father sexually abused me, the humiliation, the hell. PEREZ Feb. 2000 99 Wn. "Let me tell you, I was abused by two uncles and a cousin, and I know the dirt you feel. [25], On March 23, 1995, Robert Roberson, pastor of some of the accused, criticized the authorities at a public meeting. WENATCHEE - Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in central Washington, has died. Gomez, 267 F.3d 895, 907 (9th Cir.2001) (internal quotations omitted). The older daughters, Melinda and Donna, were sent to live as foster children in the home of detective Robert Perez. That didnt happen. [8][9], The investigation began in January 1995 when Detective Robert Perez was told by his 13-year-old foster daughter, Donna Perez, that she had been sexually molested. The more he heard, the. Several are illiterate. I thought to myself, `Oh God, what a mess,' and went straight to my supervisor," Glassen said. There is no interrogation room, so officers question suspects at their desks, which are arranged in two short rows in a drab gray room. Some children were abused in Wenatchee, that much is certain. People who know and like Perez say he is a dedicated officer, that he is often stern but can be a "teddy bear" of a man. but, in my 20 years of experience I've found it extremely unusual for a child to fabricate such accusations from whole cloth," said psychiatrist Roland Summit, who has been a consultant on several high-profile sex abuse trials, including the McMartin day-care case in Los Angeles. The appellants allege that Detective Robert Perez conducted the interviews using tactics such as threatening the interviewees with prison terms, criminal charges, and permanent family separation. Believe me, I know, its hard in the trenches and Perez hasnt made it any easier. The investigation began in January 1995 when Detective Robert Perez was told by his 13-year-old foster daughter, Donna Perez, that she had been sexually molested. The 12-year-old backed up the charge. Fox Nation'sIn the Valley of Sinexamines the mid-90s witch hunt that pitted neighbor against neighbor in Wenatchee, Washington the self-appointed 'Apple Capital of The World' when police uncovered a monstrous child sex ring known among its membership as 'The Circle.' I want to make sure it doesn't happen again, and I believe the state could convict me at trial." Link: Police Department Page Donna pointed out houses and buildings where she says she and other children were repeatedly raped and molested since January 1988. Perez kept asking if I hadn't seen this person and that person abuse the children. The settlement brings to an end the three-year-old lawsuit, first filed in district court in 2011 and later moved to federal court. She was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Retired police sergeant Mike Magnotti said protecting children was the first priority for Perez. One of Devereaux's foster daughters said he raped her. A.I would ask him "why?". Bob Perez, driving force in discredited sex abuse cases, dies Jefferson Robbins Dec 18, 2013 Sections Local News Northwest News Sports Arts & Entertainment Education Housing Crisis Webcams Buy Now Former Wenatchee police detective Bob Perez in 1998. Walter Stathers. "I have never been so terrified in my life. Perez, looks a lot like Annette Funicello and exudes wholesome determination. . In your expert opinion, what do you believe were the motives behind Perez and Abbeys witch hunt?A. What steps were missed in handling this correctly? Four stories below Riesen's office is the Chelan County Jail where the accused - stripped of their shoes, street clothes and freedom - wait for a chance to tell their stories. Phone: 805-986-6530. His investigation, with state Child Protective Services agents, ensnared 42 Chelan and Douglas County residents, 28 of whom were convicted or pleaded guilty, the newspaper reported. He had pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 years. A jury deliberated only 3 hours and 15 minutes before returning a verdict of guilty on five counts of child rape and molestation. The apparent circle of abuse was widening. Carol and Mark Doggett (whose daughter had been taken to a mental facility in Idaho to recover memories against them,[29][63] and then ran away while denying having been abused[64]) were freed,[65][66] but then still required legal assistance to get their children returned to their custody. Sometimes they would all meet at the Pentecostal Church of God House of Prayer in East Wenatchee, where Pastor Roby Roberson and his wife, Sister Connie, ministered to the poor and downtrodden. Even as the middle-class widens, the divide remains. ." Ricardo Robert "Bob" Perez, Jr. passed away peacefully at Central Washington Hospital on Thursday, December 12, 2013, surrounded by family and friends. Focus was directed towards other employees. Auxiliary Police Officer Nicholas T. Pekearo . [23] "None of the interviews, or the adults' confessions, was taped",[24] nor did Perez take notes. Some things she said made Perez suspect there was a conspiracy, that kids were being passed among neighbors. THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE FAKE SEX RING THAT CHANGED WENATCHEE FOREVERQ. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Of the cases that ended in convictions or guilty pleas, 18 were thrown out or overturned on appeal after Perezs tactics were investigated by a specially appointed appellate judge. WENATCHEE Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in central Washington, has died. WENATCHEE Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in Central Washington, has died. My god, I could never do those things. Eventually, both Cherie and Meredith Town bowed to punishment.

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