Ralph Gausvik brought suit against Detective Robert Perez, alleging Perez violated his civil rights during a sex abuse investigation. He rose quickly, becoming a detective trainee only three years after being sworn in. Detective Controls and CIP Supervisor. 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. [69] The city was fined almost as much during the civil trial for withholding evidence. Attempting to leave Wenatchee quietly, he stopped by the Douglas County sheriff's office to purchase a trip permit for his rig. Then a tip came from the Holts' former landlady. Initially placed together, state caseworkers separated the children to prevent them from "sexually acting out amongst themselves.". On March 13, 1995, Perez put Donna in his police car with two social services caseworkers and they drove through Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. To watchIn the Valley of Sin' and 'Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,'sign up onFox Nationtoday. [81] In 1997, KREM and Grant won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award "for Investigative Reporting on the Wenatchee Child Sex Ring. Others compared the investigation to the Spanish Inquisition. What would you ask Abbey, if given the opportunity to interview him? Wilson Hernandez, a Pembroke Pines man accused of molesting his two stepdaughters in 2013, was acquitted Friday. [1] Chief Mathew Lewis has been named Chief of Detectives and Chief Robert Waring has been named Chief of Operations, both three-star chief titles. Perez, looks a lot like Annette Funicello and exudes wholesome determination. 11th Ave & Broadway . "But I was not willing to have my wife and 5-year-old son picked up, interrogated and God knows what . Even in plain clothes, Perez looks formidable. In a separate appeal, this court reversed the jury verdict in favor of the Sims. [22] Parents and Sunday school teachers were charged, and many were convicted of abusing children, often including their own, or their foster children. The shed appeared to have fallen off a semi truck, according to the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office. She arrived shortly after noon, 34, single, with five children. 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. Perez yelled at a child and called her a liar until she fabricated stories of abuse in an . Sgt. Whether that contributed to actions that make them guilty or simply makes it more difficult for them to establish their innocence is an unanswered question. [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. 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. National experts are split on whether the benefit of recording such statements outweighs potential problems. Wenatchee Police Detective Robert Perez tenaciously pursued his investigation into stories of sexual predators who victimized children - sometimes their own children. When Ventura Police arrived to the 1500 block of Daffodil Avenue, they found 37-year-old Robert Perez had been stabbed once in the chest. [4][16] Perez's foster daughter later recanted[17][18] and apologized to Roberson, claiming that Perez had pressured her. "[59] Lyon described the prosecutions as "a great example of a social phenomenon that we haven't seen since Salem or the McCarthy era". . Detectives believe a man fatally shot his neighbor at the Erwin Estates Apartment Complex. [38][39], Concerned Citizens for Legal Accountability, formed to ask for an outside investigation,[40] filed a complaint with the state Commission on Judicial Conduct criticizing judges T.W. "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. [70][71] While on trial for child abuse, Douglas County also prosecuted the Robersons for welfare fraud, a case the Robersons described as "harassment". Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. To date, more than $7 million in civil settlements have . [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]. Go to Fox Nationto start a free trial and watch the extensive library from your favorite Fox News personalities. Forty hours sitting in a classroomspread over three days? That was enough. Supportive parishioners, many of them poor and dependent on the food the Robersons' gave out weekly, decry the arrests as police "payback." "[82][83][84] Grant first used the term "witch hunt" to describe these cases in March, 1995. Again, prosecutors never brought charges, but Glassen was fired from his job for failure to report child abuse and neglect. he wanted to. But by the. "Fact is, people find this kind of thing very difficult to believe. A. The next day Devereaux was notified that his foster care license had been suspended. I didn't know what I was saying, what I was signing. Apr 20th, 1998. WENATCHEE Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in Central Washington, has died. Retired police sergeant Mike Magnotti said protecting children was the first priority for Perez. The suspect, who was reportedly living on the USS Kidd, is accused of fatally hitting a pedestrian and fleeing the scene. Perez was named the department's chief sex crimes investigator in January 1994, even though he had no formal training. Donna, now 40,. Detective Bob Perez, their foster parent, then started an investigation into these claims, resulting in the discovery of an alleged child-sex ring. Whether those children were routinely gang-raped, as police and prosecutors say, is another matter. Local authorities alleged that dozens of children were raped in the bedrooms of their parents, in the homes of their neighbors, and at ritualized orgies on the altar of a church. 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!" ." Per capita income remains lower, and unemployment and felony rates higher, compared to much of the rest of the state. ", "FMSF Newsletter - November/December, 1995 - Vol. "He wore me down and made me mad . But at that moment she was not making a confession; she was getting back at an unfaithful husband. "It's a witch hunt, pure and simple," said Bob Kinkade, self-appointed leader of the local chapter of Victims of Child Abuse Laws. Shortly after midnight, Perez began questioning her; at 3:23 a.m., she signed a typed confession admitting to molesting numerous children. Before he arrested Meredith Town, he wanted corroborating statements from the boys, then ages 14 and 12. He has twice been tried on charges of molesting his stepdaughter. Perez's star witnesses, Donna and Melinda Everett, returned to live with their biological parents, Harold and Idella Everett. [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. "[86] Grant later concluded that these cases involved "good intentions, driven to hysteria, and then funneled through some people, particularly Perez, who did not use the correct techniques in investigating these cases". Interviewed in jail where she is awaiting trial, Donna Hidalgo claimed innocence. By this time, some children had recanted their accusations. Children, not knowing whether their memories are real, grow up unsure and unhappy - damaged no matter what happened. 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. [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. 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. [6] Sixteen adults entered Alford pleas; most of these were poor or "functionally retarded". S Federal & W Florida . She told a counselor that her husband, Meredith "Gene" Town, had for years been molesting their two young sons. [80], In 1995 journalist Tom Grant of KREM-TV won a George Polk Award for Excellence in Journalism for his coverage of these cases. He was accused of sexual abuse of his teen-age stepdaughter in 1993 and 1994. Oct. 6, 1995 11:59 pm ET. The more he heard, the. Perez, 60, of Waterville died on Dec.. + Subscribe for $1 for the first month She was wearing a white dress. The City's investigation began after a foster child in the home of Wenatchee Police Detective Robert Perez claimed that she and other children had been sexually abused while attending the family's East Wenatchee church. The only break had come when his father, a convicted burglar, got drunk and started shooting up the house with a .22-caliber revolver - probation violations that landed him back in jail. None of the interviews, or the adults' confessions, was taped. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Rose was sentenced to 23 years. or redistributed. The younger boy, located at school, gave a similar account. Q. Directions Physical Address: View Map 250 N Ventura Road Port Hueneme, CA 93041. The Wenatchee cases were anything but [fake news];they destroyed lives, destroyed children and parents, and left many of the children with lifelong angst.Q. Some were born poor in Wenatchee, others arrived that way. Donna pointed out houses and buildings where she says she and other children were repeatedly raped and molested since January 1988. Perez even let Jen go on Dead to Me after Jen confessed to murder. In 1998, Phillip Esplin, a forensic psychologist for the National Institutes of Health's Child Witness Project said that "Wenatchee may be the worst example ever of mental health services being abused by a state to control and manage children who have been frightened and coerced into falsely accusing their parents and neighbors of the most heinous of crimes. No! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Glassen's wife is Canadian, so they packed and moved to British Columbia. The Douglas County Sheriff's office was notified. 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. Court documents said the girl had come from a wretched home; the house, on Cashmere Street, was crowded and filthy and desperately unhappy. She reportedly began to have sex with her younger son when he was 9. All rights reserved. . CPS records indicate allegations of sexual abuse were leveled at Devereaux at least seven times over four years. Then a 15-year-old girl, in juvenile detention for allegedly trying to poison Devereaux and a foster sister, accused him of rape. She was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 23 years in prison. The house - a hulking, beige two stories crouched near the curb - is a wreck. Emerson Linarez, 38, was shot and killed in a confrontation with a homeowner. 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. Walter Stathers. If I were an investigator charged with investigating the cases today, Id do it exactly the same way, Perez said in 2004. -----------------------------------------------------------------. So when he started bragging, she picked up the phone and called the Rape Crisis Center. Over the years, Attorney Perez has taken many cases to trial and has won unpredictable . 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. That suggestion was ultimately rejected in Olympia as "discriminatory.". . Kenneth Lanning, the FBI's child-abuse specialist, has advised against taping, saying it creates a "highly subjective piece of evidence.". Former Wenatchee police Detective Robert Perez and former Wenatchee Police Chief Ken Badgley were both dismissed as defendants before the trial. Reams of legal papers are bound in bright red files, dog-eared and smudged now, from handling by members of the news media. Believe me, I know, its hard in the trenches and Perez hasnt made it any easier. IT BEGAN AS a case involving one man raping his two young boys. Perez spent about an hour talking with Cherie Town. Would you consider this one the earliest instances of "fake news" weve seen? Bundling the girl up, Perez and two Child Protective Services caseworkers drove the child, now 10, around town so she could point out where these orgies were supposed to have taken place. Four hours later, she was changing into coveralls with the words "Property of Chelan County Jail" stenciled on the back, and social workers met her children at the school bus. - Lead Detective Controls audits processes, coordinate testing and audits with internal audit team. The apparent circle of abuse was widening. Text. A few are of below normal intelligence. (One soon ran away from Perez and recanted.) From there it's three blocks to the Wenatchee police station, a cramped stone building constructed in the early 1930s. As in life, if you stand by and let injustice take place, blame is on you as well. 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. See Roberson v. Perez, 119 Wn. [68] The city of Wenatchee paid the Robersons a settlement of $700,000. 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. A child may misattribute a specific abusive act . 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. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Two key victims were in Perezs foster care at the time. Detective Robert W. Williamson 5/13/2007. Perez asked for details. Mae Hochstetler can pay the bills because the state pays her to care for her adult son, with a pandemic pay bump. "Fake news" sounds so benign. In 1982, the Miami-Dade Police Department formed a small unit of three detectives to look into unsolved murder cases. "[36] Some jurors met with the Robersons after the trial; Roberson reported they were "so angry and upset that this case was even brought to trial". Perez, 60, of Waterville died on Dec.. There was no point risking getting pulled over on a traffic violation. Some will never believe it. A loosely organized circle of friends consisted of two extended families and a pastor, his wife and a church bus driver - their lives intersecting by chance on the walk to school, at the welfare office, at church and in local taverns. 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. 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. The 1994 . Other than that, he said, it was a quiet interview. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Would you consider that training to be appropriately extensive? [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. They deny any of it ever happened. When the Department of Social and Health Services initially granted the license in 1987, Devereaux was married. [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. Offering lurid recollections of the abuse, she described how, at one home, grown-ups would take children, six at a time, to a room with six single beds. As a police officer he did his very best to serve his community, Magnotti said. The 15-year-old said Devereaux had forced her and a 12-year-old foster sister to have sex with him. 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. Laura can be contacted at laura.carrione@fox.com for any ideas or story tips. . 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. The point? That didnt happen. The wake it leaves behind is never-ending. Laura Carrione is an Editor with Fox News Digital, spearheading editorial coverage for Fox Nation features and premieres. Miller was brought back to Wenatchee. They talked for a while, and then, Glassen said, the girl "blurted out that she had told a whole bunch of lies about having sex" with Devereaux. The caseworker advised him to be patient. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "The adults undressed and got in line and took turns with everybody. "The difficulty in such situations is teasing out the truth.". The allegations started when two children under the foster care of detective Robert Perez began accusing their parents. The first time it happened, Rose and Reed were supposed to be keeping the boys out of harm's way while she was downtown talking to her husband about a divorce. The investigation found that Perez coerced suspects, many poor and developmentally disabled, into making false confessions, and coached testimony from witnesses. The Los Angeles Police Department is one of the largest and most innovative law enforcement agencies in the world. 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 was sentenced to 80 months. He spent his youth in Guadalajara, Mexico, where his father attended Medical School. Traffic was backed up for 5 miles Thursday morning. Eventually, he trained for three days under a department predecessor and. Miller's confession was corroborated by her ex-husband, Larry Steinborn. Accompanied by two Child Protective Service workers, Perez returned to 610 Mission St. [32] The main witness was Perez' foster daughter; Perez was the investigator of the cases.
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