Court documents said the girl had come from a wretched home; the house, on Cashmere Street, was crowded and filthy and desperately unhappy. 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. . 4, No. [11] THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE FAKE SEX RING THAT CHANGED WENATCHEE FOREVERQ. 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. But Wenatchee police Detective Robert Perez, the foster father . That did not happen. Reed, 43 at the time, pleaded guilty to two counts of child molestation. 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. I'm lying.". Laura Carrione is an Editor with Fox News Digital, spearheading editorial coverage for Fox Nation features and premieres. WENATCHEE Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in Central Washington, has died. The children had said there were pornographic photographs and videotapes, including some "home movies" of the alleged orgies. At 37, unemployed, with a felony record, Meredith Town didn't have a lot - just enough to fill a trailer. - Lead Detective Controls audits processes, coordinate testing and audits with internal audit team. Many people were horrified, almost grief-stricken by the sex scandal; others were beginning to think police, and Perez in particular, were manufacturing charges. The more he heard, the. Other than that, he said, it was a quiet interview. App. 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. That was enough. Twenty-four witnesses testified as to the facts of . 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. Along with drinking, sex was the family's primary diversion. [3][19] Reporter Tom Grant broadcast part of her recantation on KREM-TV. The Douglas County Sheriff's office was notified. Perez knew time was short. 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. Several of the accused claimed that their confessions were coerced. 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 . Hernandez, 52, faced life in. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Then a 15-year-old girl, in juvenile detention for allegedly trying to poison Devereaux and a foster sister, accused him of rape. Police Officer Sean A. McDonald 3/15/1994. Focus was directed towards other employees. 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. [25], On March 23, 1995, Robert Roberson, pastor of some of the accused, criticized the authorities at a public meeting. On a sticky-hot July afternoon, about three months after the Towns were arrested, Perez knocked on Laura Holt's door. After a family acquaintance was convicted of molesting the girl, Child Protective Services stepped in. Why should this concern Americans? . Dwaine Hooten . She arrived shortly after noon, 34, single, with five 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. 500 Park Ave West . Perez didn't believe Devereaux and told him so. He rose quickly, becoming a detective trainee only three years after being sworn in. What steps were missed in handling this correctly? Late one afternoon that September, Luci Perez sat down with her foster daughter. With her statement, police and prosecutors were able to convince Harold that he, too, should enter a plea of guilty. 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. WENATCHEE Former Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez, who led a discredited child sex ring investigation in the 1990s in central Washington, has died. Detective Bob Perez, their foster parent, then started an investigation into these claims, resulting in the discovery of an alleged child-sex ring. 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. The school board on Tuesday adopted a blueprint for potential layoffs and deep program cuts to make ends meet. Advertisement. As the matter dragged on, Devereaux became frantic, according to one caseworker's notes, in part because his only income was the state payments he received for care of his foster daughters. 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. Detective Robert W. Williamson 5/13/2007. 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 . Unable to afford the $1,000,000 bail for each, they were held in jail where Robert was beaten. 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. . There is medical evidence to support some charges of sexual molestation. [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. The harrowing accusations were completely unfounded,leaving Wenatchee desperate for answers. The state ferry system still faces crew shortages and a diminishing, aging fleet of green-and-white workhorses. Eventually, he trained for three days under a department predecessor and. 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. Wenatchee is generally regarded as a pleasant town with a solid, upright middle class. 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. Top-floor windows are busted out, the rest covered with plywood. The investigation found that Perez coerced suspects, many poor and developmentally disabled, into making false confessions, and coached testimony from witnesses. But until 1952, when Alcoa built a huge aluminum-manufacturing plant here, there wasn't much middle. 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. 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. . Jesus Cruz-Vasquez . If I were an investigator charged with investigating the cases today, Id do it exactly the same way, Perez said in 2004. At least one caseworker said change was needed in the Devereaux household - perhaps only boys should be placed there. Detective Robert Arredondo. Plaintiffs' attorney James Beecher said Perez. Cited in numerous civil suits still pending against the city of Wenatchee, Detective Robert Perez retired on disability. He was found not guilty on two charges; the jury was hung on three others. "We had to undress and lay down on the bed, a kid on each bed," she said. [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. was driven around town in a police car with Perez and two Child Protective Services caseworkers. Miller's confession was corroborated by her ex-husband, Larry Steinborn. After seeking refuge for her children in a "safe house," Miller saw to it that Steinborn went to jail. Interviewed in jail where she is awaiting trial, Donna Hidalgo claimed innocence. "Fact is, people find this kind of thing very difficult to believe. Sergeant Michael B. Wagner 4/27/2007. The younger boy, located at school, gave a similar account. No child deserves to feel that, there's no way I would do those things," she said. During the ride she. "It's a witch hunt, pure and simple," said Bob Kinkade, self-appointed leader of the local chapter of Victims of Child Abuse Laws. Word was out that Meredith Town was preparing to skip Wenatchee and take his boys to El Dorado, Kan. that the police officer was `out to get her dad.' Shortly after midnight, Perez began questioning her; at 3:23 a.m., she signed a typed confession admitting to molesting numerous children. A few had histories of telling terrible lies. Perez was named the department's chief sex crimes investigator in January 1994, even though he had no formal training. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Talking with the children made Perez believe Laura Holt - also known as Becky - had molested not only her children but countless others. When the Department of Social and Health Services initially granted the license in 1987, Devereaux was married. Sheriff Robert C. Ynclan; Gordon County Sheriff's Office, Georgia. "Clearly, there is risk of embellishment," Berlin said. [43], Critics maintained that these cases were mishandled by the police and proper protocol was not followed when interviewing the children. On March 13, 1994, in what has become known as the "parade of homes," D.E. 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!" 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. "The adults undressed and got in line and took turns with everybody. That secret allegedly was shared by at least two dozen adults and some 50 children said to be members of "The Circle." . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Q. . "Let me tell you, I was abused by two uncles and a cousin, and I know the dirt you feel. The point? ", Perez went back to the kids, accompanied by a Child Protective Services investigator. 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?