10/21/2004. Van Blaricom, hired by a city insurer who looked into how the Wenatchee police ran the child abuse investigations, stated that the cases were handled properly. . [78], Kerri Ann Knowles Hill, whose trial was postponed due to the "raging hysteria" of her accuser,[63] gave up her rights to sue for damages and speak publicly about her case, in exchange for having her case dropped. Wilson Hernandez, a Pembroke Pines man accused of molesting his two stepdaughters in 2013, was acquitted Friday. Justice isnt a task that ends, it is ongoing and those seeking it can never rest. Sheriff Robert C. Ynclan; Gordon County Sheriff's Office, Georgia. [79] Sadie Hughes (a.k.a. . Most of the girls sent to the Devereauxs were victims of sexual abuse - some were withdrawn and frightened, others aggressive and angry. 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 were families, police say, in which adults treated children as commodities, "trading them like party favors" - not for financial gain, but for sexual gratification and illusions of power and control. . The caseworker advised him to be patient. On March 13, 1995, Perez put Donna in his police car with two social services caseworkers and they drove through Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. Chief Mathew Lewis has been named Chief of Detectives and Chief Robert Waring has been named Chief of Operations, both three-star chief titles. He was born on October 17, 1953, in Ohio, to Ricardo and Anne (Tempe) Perez. If I were an investigator charged with investigating the cases today, Id do it exactly the same way, Perez said in 2004. . WENATCHEE Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in central Washington, has died. The idea that the same 50 children could be routinely sodomized by the same two dozen adults year after year is so horrific it gives rise to disbelief. The Robersons were arrested on 22 counts of child rape and molestation. . WENATCHEE Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in Central Washington, has died. [1] My god, I could never do those things. That suspicion was heightened by medical evidence suggesting that at least one and possibly both of the boys had been abused. The verdict came after 3 1/2 hours of deliberations. The Holts - Selid, Laura and their three kids - lived just a few doors down, at 512 Mission St. During the ride she. 11th Ave & Broadway . As the citys chief sex crimes investigator, Perez arrested dozens of Wenatchee Valley adults between 1994 and 1995 on suspicion of sexually abusing children, sometimes in bizarre, ritualistic fashion. At 37, unemployed, with a felony record, Meredith Town didn't have a lot - just enough to fill a trailer. Along with drinking, sex was the family's primary diversion. Authorities alleged that Miller and her former husband, Larry Steinborn, were members of "The Circle.". If I had to speculate, I believe one of the Seven Deadly Sins was at playPride. She told him she had been angry with her foster father for spying on her, for putting her on restriction after catching her having sex with a boyfriend. That did not happen. Detective Robert "Bob" Bachelder is originally from Portland, Maine where he worked as . Again, prosecutors never brought charges, but Glassen was fired from his job for failure to report child abuse and neglect. "The adults undressed and got in line and took turns with everybody. Heres whats happening at the mid-point of the 2023 session of the Washington Legislature. He brought shame onto Lady Justice andonall those people who fight for justice every day. There was, it seemed, horrific new allegations being made every day. That was all Perez needed to hear; he put out a bulletin on Meredith Town. See more Perez memorials in: Santa Clara Cemetery; Oxnard; Ventura County . Rattling off names, the girl referred to the group as "The Circle." In newspapers and on television, he accused Perez of being on a power trip, of leading child witnesses into making false accusations, of trampling on suspects' constitutional rights and bullying adults into signing confessions. They awarded $3 million to a couple who had been wrongly accused in the inquiry,[5] but the state supreme court later upheld an appeals court ruling reducing this award to the Sims. On March 13, 1995, Perez put Donna in his police car with two social services caseworkers and they drove through Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. Retired police sergeant Mike Magnotti said protecting children was the first priority for Perez. 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. . Robert Devereaux Roberson Family The Everett Family Possible reasons for unethical work. 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 Sex Crimes Unit in Wenatchee after attending a 3-day, 40-hour course on child abuse. 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. [33] The jury acquitted the Robersons of all remaining charges;[34][35] one juror reported that acquitting them "was not a difficult decision for us. Wasn't it possible, some asked, that the children, desperate for attention and approval, hadn't simply said what they thought police wanted to hear? "The fabric of so many lives was torn so violently.". 6, No. Apr 20th, 1998. She reportedly began to have sex with her younger son when he was 9. Her statement implicated a slate of other adults, some of whom she now says she does not know. 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. Laura Holt later recanted her confession, claiming she had been "browbeat" by Perez. . As a police officer he did his very best to serve his community, Magnotti said. 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 . Perez knew time was short. After seeking refuge for her children in a "safe house," Miller saw to it that Steinborn went to jail. Victim Rikki Olds, 25, was a "strong, independent" young woman who worked at the grocery store, her uncle, Robert Olds, told ABC News. 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. Finally, was justice served? I understand. . She reportedly confirmed that Michael Rose and Randall Reed, drinking buddies of her husband who bunked with the family for a time, had also sexually abused the boys. THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE FAKE SEX RING THAT CHANGED WENATCHEE FOREVERQ. Still, the fact remains that more than 400,000 reports of verifiable child abuse are filed nationwide with authorities each year. Three teenage girls were returned to Devereaux's care. The Wenatchee disaster has created great distrust for law enforcement in general. Physically assaultive behavior in the role of foster parent by Detective Robert Perez. Then 54 and divorced, Devereaux had five adolescent girls in his care. 6 at 3) The reference hearing, which began on March 11, 1998, was held in front of Judge Wallis Friel and spanned the course of seven days. No. "The difficulty in such situations is teasing out the truth.". In early August 1994, Perez paid another visit to Cherie Town, who was in the Chelan County Jail awaiting sentencing. Perez said he wouldn't, couldn't, discuss it over the phone. However, prosecutors never charged Glassen with a crime. Before he arrested Meredith Town, he wanted corroborating statements from the boys, then ages 14 and 12. Several of the accused claimed that their confessions were coerced. Looking the other way as injustice takes its horrible toll is not acceptable. After a family acquaintance was convicted of molesting the girl, Child Protective Services stepped in. 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. From there it's three blocks to the Wenatchee police station, a cramped stone building constructed in the early 1930s. Most were investigated, some were not - the information lost in a shuffle of supervisors. [20][21], Forty-three adults were arrested on 29,726 charges of child sex abuse, involving 60 children in 1995. He says homicide is different from all others: "I think one of the most stressful jobs that I've had . In 1994, Perez (who had undergone a few hours of specialized training in child abuse investigations) took his foster daughters on a ride through the streets of Wenatchee, asking them to identify places where they had been abused . Only after reassurances and coaxing did the teenager reveal he had repeatedly been sodomized by his father. Civil Rights: Other case filed on July 12, 2022 in the New Jersey District Court 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. Emergency Phone: 911. In 1982, the Miami-Dade Police Department formed a small unit of three detectives to look into unsolved murder cases. 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.' The Los Angeles Police Department is one of the largest and most innovative law enforcement agencies in the world. Its Day 52. "I couldn't very well say no. 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. [69] The city was fined almost as much during the civil trial for withholding evidence. Court documents said the girl had come from a wretched home; the house, on Cashmere Street, was crowded and filthy and desperately unhappy. 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. The 1994 . He was sentenced to 80 months. [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. Captain Michael D'Angelo Garigan; Gove County Sheriff's Office, Kansas. The allegations strained credulity but not then, nor later, did Perez or his superiors consider the children might be embroidering the truth. "Finally, I just told him to write whatever . A conspiracy such as that alleged in Wenatchee has never been substantiated in this country, according to federal authorities. Oct. 6, 1995 11:59 pm ET. [6] Sixteen adults entered Alford pleas; most of these were poor or "functionally retarded". Asked if she had had sex with the Holt children, Green shifted uncomfortably on the hard chair before answering, "Only once.". "There are countless suggestive forces," she said. "It is extremely easy for a child, especially when traumatized, to create false memories . WENATCHEE - Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in central Washington, has died. After speaking one-on-one to many of the then-children who were coerced into accusing their mothers and fathers of molesting them, I have one word for Mr. Perez: "SHAME!" As a former prosecutor, how do you think the government and law enforcement could have better handled this catastrophe? View memorials for all fallen law enforcement officers from the New York City Police Department, New York. Robert Perez's passing has been publicly announced by Valley Of The Temples Memorial Pk & Funeral Homes in Kaneohe, HI.Legacy invites you to offer condolences and share memories of Robert in the G Reed, 43 at the time, pleaded guilty to two counts of child molestation. Interviewed in jail, where she is being held in lieu of $50,000 cash-only bail, Miller now claims her confession was coerced. His dreams came true and he became a K9 officer. . Detective Robert W. Williamson 5/13/2007. [23] "None of the interviews, or the adults' confessions, was taped",[24] nor did Perez take notes. Q. The lawsuit alleges it. The promotions took effect Friday, July 16. . . To watchIn the Valley of Sin' and 'Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,'sign up onFox Nationtoday. [4][16] Perez's foster daughter later recanted[17][18] and apologized to Roberson, claiming that Perez had pressured her. By 2004, the city of Wenatchee had paid out more than $7 million in jury awards and settlements to claimants who were falsely accused. ." A. But it wasn't until the couple divorced and Maxine left the house that allegations surfaced. Those who know but do not like him say he is a "manipulative monster.". 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. He wasn't halfway through the forms when a sheriff's deputy announced he was under arrest. Traffic was backed up for 5 miles Thursday morning. There, the pastor and three other adults allegedly raped her. The Douglas County Sheriff's office was notified. Miller was brought back to Wenatchee. Officially, they called them "pending cases," but Pulitzer . Gomez, 267 F.3d 895, 907 (9th Cir.2001) (internal quotations omitted). . ", 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." It is responsible for providing police service to an area encompassing 468 square miles and 21 community areas, representing approximately over 4 million residents as of 2022. She listed 22 locations. She told a counselor that her husband, Meredith "Gene" Town, had for years been molesting their two young sons. The last civil lawsuit against the city was settled in 2011 for $120,000, the paper reported. 500 Park Ave West . . Police later accused him of failing to report abuse and obstructing justice, prompting an internal Department of Social and Health Services investigation. . He had pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 years. No child deserves to feel that, there's no way I would do those things," she said. Morales-Perez . [32] The main witness was Perez' foster daughter; Perez was the investigator of the cases. 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. The family lived from welfare check to welfare check. Seeking out and punishing sexual abusers of children has become a national obsession, sometimes with tragic results. None of the interviews, or the adults' confessions, was taped. was driven around town in a police car with Perez and two Child Protective Services caseworkers. After he informed her of her rights, she confessed to ongoing sexual contacts with all three children individually and in. The youngster's teacher said he told her the same story, according to the police report. [70][71] While on trial for child abuse, Douglas County also prosecuted the Robersons for welfare fraud, a case the Robersons described as "harassment". Harold Everett had raped her and at least one sister and brother. The children had said there were pornographic photographs and videotapes, including some "home movies" of the alleged orgies. 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. - Drive continuous improvement and efficiency in the accounting and master data processes for NA Hub. Market data provided by Factset. But there was one problem: none of it actually happened. She identified 19 locations: Some were familiar, such as Devereaux's house and the former rental homes of the Holts and Towns; but others, such as the Pentecostal Church of God House of Prayer in East Wenatchee, presented shocking new leads. Robert Arredondo has been with the Dallas Police Department for over 12 years, with just a little of a year in homicide. Donna pointed out houses and buildings . Hernandez, 52, faced life in. Do you feel it lends to the distrust of the justice department, or do you find theres some saving grace in the fact that, in the end, Perez was ultimately caught, and everyone accused, exonerated? The appellants further allege that two of the primary child witnesses were foster children living with Perez and that he coerced them into making disclosures with gifts or by physical abuse. The Wenatchee child abuse prosecutions in Wenatchee, Washington, US, of 1994 and 1995, were the last "large scale Multi-Victim / Multi-Offender case"[1] during the hysteria over child molestation in the 1980s and early 1990s. In a signed statement to the court, he wrote: "Because of liver damage that has affected my brain and memory, I have no recollection (of the crime). Now in their late teens, the former witnesses have publicly declared that none of the crimes they . A former East Wenatchee cop, Kinkade does not shy from a brawl. They sat down together and, as Luci Perez listened, the child described unconscionable acts of sexual abuse by her parents. That we must always remain ever vigilant. Improper training. 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. Glassen's supervisor reportedly passed the information on to her husband, a deputy prosecuting attorney, who passed it on to Perez. [56][57], Pierce County public defender Kathryn Lyon compiled "The Wenatchee Report",[58] which "purport[ed] to show civil-rights violations involving children and families in Chelan and Douglas counties. The division between the two Wenatchees is deep. 43 adults were. He claims that Perez is on a power trip, leading child witnesses into making false accusations and berating adults into confessions. He has twice been tried on charges of molesting his stepdaughter. The apparent circle of abuse was widening. Walter Stathers. . Devereaux asked, "What do I have to do to stay out of jail?" SEATTLE (AP) -- The young girl whose accusations evolved into the Wenatchee child sex ring cases was a quick-witted child who blossomed once she was given love and attention, her former foster father testified. In Cherie Town's book, it was wrong for her husband to be messing around with other women. 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. ", "FMSF Newsletter - November/December, 1995 - Vol. [8] Manuel Hidalgo Rodriguez, convicted in 1995,[53][75] was awarded $2.9 million from his defense attorney Ed Stevensen,[76] who took a job with the prosecutor 3 weeks after losing his case,[77] but in the end received $689,000. Kinder critics said police, immersed in wretched detail, had failed to consider the children might be telling tales, exaggerating or even fabricating accounts of sexual abuse. "Nothing has gone on, could have gone on. What steps were missed in handling this correctly? 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. ." Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. But never once, Cherie Town said, did she "keep the boys home from school to have sex. In September, police, prosecutors and child-protection workers believed they were just about to wrap up two very ugly cases of child sexual abuse - the Town-Holt and Devereaux cases. On March 13, 1995, Perez put Donna in his police car with two social services caseworkers and they drove through Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. [37], A jury also acquitted Honnah Sims; one juror criticized the lack of evidence and described the case as "a witch hunt",[25] and the jury foreman criticized the case as a waste of money given the weakness of the evidence. Whether his clients are charged with sex crimes, domestic violence, or homicide, Attorney Perez is ready to defend their rights in both state and federal courts. he wanted to. [13] Perez attempted to subpoena Lyon's sources,[59] but was unsuccessful, except for a tape that Lyon had already shared with others. Over the years, Attorney Perez has taken many cases to trial and has won unpredictable . It is important to note that their marriage ended after one of Miller's daughters (by a previous husband) accused Steinborn of sexual molestation. Late one afternoon that September, Luci Perez sat down with her foster daughter. Others compared the investigation to the Spanish Inquisition. There were other arrests, including that, in March, of Donna Hidalgo, adult step-sister of Perez's foster child. Pride takes many forms, including a thirst for power and an unabashed arrogance.Q. Children were interviewed in the presence of other children. [4] In his testimony, Perez admitted physically hurting his foster daughter that was accusing others. 2023, Everett Herald and Sound Publishing, Inc. 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Cited in numerous civil suits still pending against the city of Wenatchee, Detective Robert Perez retired on disability. Following this, he was "accused, indirectly, of committing some of the same crimes". "But I was not willing to have my wife and 5-year-old son picked up, interrogated and God knows what . The town was divided into two classes: those who owned the apple orchards and those who worked in them. The Holts' daughter even told officers where the videos were kept, but Bagdley said his officers did not find any tapes. Fax: 805-488-2633. App. That month, in what seemed at first a wholly unrelated incident, Robert Devereaux lost his license to operate a foster home after he became the subject of sexual-abuse allegations. A.I do not consider a 40-hour training course on child abuse "extensive" at all. He alleged Perez was arrested for petty larceny in 1975, and cited for receiving unemployment benefits while enrolled in the Police Academy in 1983. [6][61][62], Courts have freed all those once imprisoned in these prosecutions. Miller's confession was corroborated by her ex-husband, Larry Steinborn. The Devereauxs were warned there could be problems. . Tim Abbey, former Wenatchee-area administrator for the state Department of Social and Health Services' Division of Children and Family Services, said he and former police detective Robert Perez . On March 13, 1995, Perez put Donna in his police car with two social services caseworkers and they drove through Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. The detective had completed 64 hours of special training in sex-crimes investigation; both he and his superiors were confident of his ability to handle just about any case. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. As part of the Fox News Flash & Media team, Laura has her hand in a variety of content - from faith & values to crime & justice - having recently interviewed celebrities like actor Leslie Jordan, author Mitch Albom, and crime expert Nancy Grace for FOX. - Lead Detective Controls audits processes, coordinate testing and audits with internal audit team. She described gatherings on weekends (and those evenings when the children had no homework) where the group would eat pizza, watch "Star Trek" movies and indulge in a frenzy of perversion. "He wore me down and made me mad . But by the. "My own father sexually abused me, the humiliation, the hell. Perez was rushed to Ventura County Medical Center where he died while undergoing surgery. [25] After their acquittal, they plea-bargained this case to community service for Robert. I'm lying.". 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. Former Wenatchee police Detective Robert Perez and former Wenatchee Police Chief Ken Badgley were both dismissed as defendants before the trial. Wenatchee Police Detective Robert Perez tenaciously pursued his investigation into stories of sexual predators who victimized children - sometimes their own children. [47][19] The FBI did not question anyone; instead they shipped Reno documents which she found "do not present evidence of prosecutable violations of federal civil rights law. Police records say the youngster was forthcoming, confirming that his father raped him and forced him to perform oral sex. 'This has ruined the lives of these children': Nancy Grace on the Wenatchee witch hunt, THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE FAKE SEX RING THAT CHANGED WENATCHEE FOREVER. Defense attorneys put Wenatchee police detective Bob Perez on the stand as a hostile witness and tried to undermine his credibility. The court also vacated orders dismissing Detective Robert Perez and Wenatchee Police Chief Kenneth Badgley, on the ground substantial justice required it. [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. Dwaine Hooten . Rose, then 26, maintained his innocence. 439 investigators, prosecutors, and defense counsel. Reams of legal papers are bound in bright red files, dog-eared and smudged now, from handling by members of the news media. Ralph Gausvik brought suit against Detective Robert Perez, alleging Perez violated his civil rights during a sex abuse investigation. Advertisement. Luci Perez called her husband, who, together with a Child Protective Services investigator, asked the child to repeat her story: Her father, Harold Everett, was manipulative and cruel; and her mother, Idella, was weak and abusive. . Q. 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. On March 13, 1994, in what has become known as the "parade of homes," D.E. [15] In 1995, after Pastor Robert Roberson criticized the investigation, he was arrested and charged with eleven counts of the sexual abuse of a child. He was found not guilty on two charges; the jury was hung on three others. 320 "willfully." That is, the City knew what was being requested but decided not to comply with the discovery request.5 [11, 12]PREJUDICE.Burnet also requires that the discovery violation be one that "substantially prejudiced the opponent's ability to prepare for trial."Burnet, 131 Wn.2d at 494.The word "substantial" is key, and its meaning is . . They deny any of it ever happened. They don't want to believe it. There is medical evidence to support some charges of sexual molestation. "[82][83][84] Grant first used the term "witch hunt" to describe these cases in March, 1995. A.I would ask him "why?". "Fact is, people find this kind of thing very difficult to believe. Selid Holt, 35, was already in the Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla for raping his daughter - turned in by his wife a year earlier. [68] The city of Wenatchee paid the Robersons a settlement of $700,000. Elizabeth Loftus, a University of Washington professor and nationally noted authority on memory, argues strongly that children, and even some adults, are "highly suggestible" and therefore unreliable. Detective Bob Perez, their foster parent, then started an investigation into these claims, resulting in the discovery of an alleged child-sex ring.