Pastor Robert Roberson

On September 5, 1995, I conducted a taped interview of Pastor Robert Roberson.(123) Pastor Roberson told me that prior to the arrest of Idella and Harold Everett, parents of D.E. CPS caseworker Katie Carrow would call him and urge him to keep an eye on the family. Dean Reiman of CPS would call him to be watchful for other children in the congregation as well. Pastor Roberson was known as somebody who was very involved and caring toward his congregation.

At one point Dean Reiman asked him to include some children in his congregation that normally went to the Apple Valley Baptist Church. Pastor Roberson ran a food bank to help out the poor in the community. Deborah Gambel, foster mother, sometimes helped out in the food bank. One day she told Pastor Roberson that she was concerned because Dean Reimen of CPS had told her several children might have been molested at the Apple Valley Baptist Church. Ms. Gambel said that Dean Reiman said several social workers thought that the one thing the most victims had in common was membership in that church.

Pastor Roberson spoke to Dean Reiman who wouldn't confirm or deny it except to say they had some concerns they had to look into. This was in the late spring or early summer of 1994.

Pastor Roberson became increasingly concerned about the nature of the police investigation of the sex abuse cases. He knew the Everetts well, was especially close to the oldest boy, R.E., and had taken the whole family under his wing. He didn't believe the Everetts' had sexually molested their children and R.E. was adamant that they had not. Pastor Roberson also became highly skeptical that the Holt children had been victims of abuse. One day he spoke to Mrs. Gambel and told her "I'm beginning to suspect that anything has ever happened." She said, "I'd be real careful about you saying things like that."One day Ms. Gambel told him that a computor belonging to the Holts was discovered to have 2300 porno disks on it. Pastor Roberson says that this fact has never been mentioned in any discovery and he believes the story was made up to prejudice him against the Holts and to stop him from voicing concerns.

However, Pastor Roberson continued to voice concerns. He told me, "I began to question the integrity of the whole investigation with the H~lts." He went immediately to the prosecutor's office when Harold Everett was arrested. He objected to Roy Fore that Harold couldn't have written a statement because he could neither read nor write.

When Idella was arrested she and Harold requested that Pastor Roberson and his wife Connie become foster parents for R.E., their son. Pastor Roberson was invited by their attorneys to a dependency hearing. The recommendations from the attorneys and Connie Seracino of CPS was that R.E. be placed in the Roberson home as soon as possible, once the paperwork was completed. The commissioner agreed, and directed that Ms. Saracino act on this as soon as possible. Detective Perez was present at this hearing because both defense attorneys had moved to have D.E. removed from his home.(125)

After the hearing, Pastor Roberson spoke to Idella's attorney who warned him he would have to report any disclosures that R.E. might make. Pastor Roberson said that he understood that and would do so. But, he said, he would support R.E.'s statements that his parents were innocent. He added, "I b~lieve they're innocent."

Within the next day or so, Pastor Roberson received a phone call from Connie Saracino. She said she had some bad news. She said, "I was just contacted by Officer Bob Perez from Wenatchee Police Department...I need to inform you that you can no longer have contact with any of the other children. And if you involve yourself in the future in any aspect of an investigation or in the hearings, Mr. Perez says that you will be arrested." She told him not to bother to complete the paperwork to place R.E. because she could "guarantee" that he wouldn't be placed with the Robersons. She wouldn't give any reason for this action.

Pastor Roberson then got a call from R.E. R.E. said that he had been picked up by Detective Perez after school and they sat outside of the Gambel house. D~tective Perez showed R.E. the statement his mother had signed and R.E. said his mother wasn't smart enough to write such a statement. Even if she had she was lying, R.E. told Perez According to Pastor Roberson, R.E. said, "And he told me that I need to confess to him and support this and say this was true and sign this or I wasn't gonna be able to be put in your house."

Pastor Roberson encouraged R.E. to be truthful. "Don't let them con you into saying something that's wrong. No matter what they tell you your mom said or your dad said or your brothers or sisters said or anything else...don't you let them make you lie." R.E. then said "Please Pastor Roby,...you're the only person who's every cared about us. And if you don't do something for us, nobody else is going to...Nobody else cares."

Pastor Roberson then told R.E., "I care...Believe me I'm gonna do everything I can in my power to get to the bottom of this....You be faithful...you know what's right and you know what's wrong. I'll fight for you. And don't you give in to them."

Pastor Roberson told me that, at this point, he started conducting his own investigation. He gathered court documents talked to counselors and gathered documentation. Despite Detective Perez' warning Pastor Roberson went to Idella Everett's sentencing hearing.(126) He spoke up on her behalf and said he felt she was innocent. Detective Perez was sitting behind him. Pastor Roberson said he was "shaking like a leaf" because he was afraid Detective Perez would arrest him. He told the judge, "Your honor, I've been threatened by Bob Perez in this courtroom that if I was to even show up that I would be arrested...I don't expect to make it out of this hearing for testifying today, that I'll be taken into custody." When Pastor Roberson left the courtroom, he passed by Perez. As he did so Detective Perez said to him, "We warned you Roberson, we warned you."(l27)

On March 3, 1995, Detective Perez and DCFS caseworkers Kate Carrow and Russ Haugen interviewed J.T. at the Integra mental health facility in Moses Lake. (128) J.T. described a man named Leo who had molested him. Leo worked at the food bank at the Pentacostal Church in East Wenatchee. J.T.'s family would go to the food bank too. J.T. said he would go to the church on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He said they ate big meals downstairs. H~ said a bunch of parents and close to fifty kids went there. J.T. said that sometimes kids would spend the night there. "I stayed with the older kids so I would not get blamed for having sex with the younger kids." He said they people would split into groups and the girls would chose a boy to sleep with. "The little kids might sleep with the adults." Pastor Robbie didn't want anyone to use names. He said that Pastor Robbie made them put their clothes against the walls or "at the head of our sleeping places."

J.T. said, "Usually what happened is that everyone fell into a trance." He said "we used to switch partners from night to night." Pastor Robbie told people to get into groups and have sex with each other, "If the top group didn't do it they would get yelled at really bad. He'd say, 'You will not come back to my church.'" J.T. said that Pastor Robbie would force people to have sex. He didn't have sex with J.T's group. "But in our area, the boys always slept in the same spot and the girls moved around.

Everyone did it to everyone. Robbie whispered to the kids about where to switch to and what to do. Robbie has done it to me."

On March 13, 1995, Detective Perez, Laurie Alexander, and Kate Carrow drove D.E. around various neighborhoods. Donna pointed out fifteen locations in Wenatchee and six locations in East Wenatchee where she had been molested in the past. One of these was the Roberson residence and the other was the Pentacostal Church.(129)

On March 14, 1995, Detective Perez interviewed D.E. in the presence of Kate Carrow and Lauri* Alexander. She named over 25 people who had molested her at various locations, including Linda Miller, Bob Devereaux, Paul Glassen and Pastor Robert Roberson. D.E. said that Pastor Roberson would come to her house lots of times, as often as twice a week. He would touch her and have intercourse with her (note: she calls intercourse the "wild thing.") She said that she would sometimes go to the Roberson home where she and her siblings would go swimming. Afterwards, Pastor Roberson "made us take off our clothes and did the wild thing to me." D.E. described over 25 children who had been molested to her observation at the Pentacostal Church.(130)

On March 23, 1995, Pastor Roberson had become increasingly concerned about the investigations and decided to attend a community forum at a local auditorium. He did not know that he was a suspect. Donna Rodriguez who came to the food bank and attended the church at times had just been arrested. He told his wife and his congregation that he felt he had to speak out because maybe he could help.

Pastor Roberson took his file to the meeting. H~spoke about his investigations and his concerns. The meeting was televised by KREM 2 television out of Spokane. After the meeting, reporter Tom Grant reviewed the files and interviewed Pastor Roberson. Most of the investigations of him immediately followed. The show was aired on or about March 27, 1995. (131)

On March 27, 1995, Detective Perez interviewed Linda Miller. Although the Affidavit of Probable Cause in the case of Linda Miller describes her statements but does not reference Pastor Roberson or the Pentacostal Church.(132) According to the Detail Incident Report: Douglas county Sheriff, dated 5/30/95, on March 27, 1995, Detective Perez contacted the Douglas County Sheriffs office and advised them that Ms. Miller had admitted to a "wide range of child sex abuse in Wenatchee and D~uglas County." In her statement, Ms Miller described group sex at the Pentacostal church.(133)

On March 27 Douglas County Sheriffs Detectives Helvey, and Wagg, and Laurie Alexander interviewed D.E. at school. They told her they knew what she had said to Detective Perez about the touching at the Pentacostal church. D.E. described sex acts by Pastor Robert and Connie Roberson involving several children as well as the Roberson's young daughter, R.R. (134)

On March 28, 1995, by prior arrangement Douglas County Sheriff and several other law enforcement agencies "secured" the Pentacostal Church. Washington State Crime Lab personel participated in the search of the church, which,was authorized by search warrant, and removed samples of carpet and other materials for analysis.(135)

Pastor Roberson was handcuffed, arrested and placed in the police vehicle in front of approximately 300 people who were at the food bank. He wasn't questioned at the time and at the station was only questioned about the whereabouts of his daughter. Pastor Roberson and Connie were jailed on one million dollars bail each.(l36)

In the weeks that followed several children and adults were questioned about the events at the Pentacostal Church. On March 30, 1995 Douglas County Sheriff Detective Wagg interviewed D.E. with M.E. and Katie Carrow present. M.E. said she saw Pastor Robby touch various kids, and said this happened in a big room downstairs. On that same date, Wagg interviewed D.E., following up on a March 27 interview. Detective Wagg told her what her sister, M.E. had said. D.E. said that on Friday nights children would sing songs and then go down to a "big room" in the downstairs of the church. Adults would perform sex acts on them.

Nineteen adults participated. The adults would make the children · take off their clothes and put them in a corner. The adults would then take off their clothes. Pastor Robby "did the wild thing" and the "ladies stuck their fingers inside me."(137)

On May 2, 1995 Detective Perez interviewed and arrested Gary Filbeck. He described various acts of group sex including acts at the Pentacostal Church. H~ said that children would be called to the front of the church during services and Pastor Roberson would perform ritualized acts of sex. Mr. Filbeck said that Pastor Roberson would kneel with his hands up and take off the girl's clothes and lay them down and have sex with them on stage. He said it was the way to get the devil out of them. Pastor Roberson would say, "Halleluja, there goes the devil." Other times the adults would go downstairs with the children and "we fondled them and stuff." Mr. Filbeck also described sex acts at the Roberson home involving groups of people.(138)

On May 11, 1995. Detective Helvey and Detective Couey interviewed Scharlann Filbeck at the Chelan County Jail where she was being held pending trial. Ms. Filbeck had previously made admissions about acts she had participated in or observed, to Detective Perez.(139) On this occasion, she said that she had attended the Pentacostal Church for about a month. She said that during Sunday Service children had to sit near the front so Pastor Roberson could "keep an eye" on them. He would call two or three kids to go to the front after they sang. He would touch them on the privates in front of the congregation. The girls included D.E. and R.R.. Sometimes Pastor Roberson would undress them, other times he would just pull their panties down. Once or twice Pastor Roberson pulled his pants down, exposing his penis. (But, note: Ms. Filbeck recanted all these allegations to me.)(140)

Several children from the Pentacostal church were interviewed by Jeanne Dierickx of the Douglas County Prosecutors office in regards to activities at the Pentacostal church. Most of these children denied observation of any sexual activities.(141)

On April 6, 1995, Kevin Jones, seriologist, of the Washington State Patrol Crime lab contacted the Douglas County Sheriff's office and advised that all testing was negative for semen.(142) This fact was not revealed to the defense or the community until on or about the date of the trial of Hannah Sims in late July, 1995.

Pastor Roberson's trial is scheduled for November, 1995.

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