Pastor Organized Sex, Girl Testifies

A Pentecostal preacher organized periodic sleepovers at his church for some 20 children - events that sometimes included sex among the children and the adults, a young girl testified Tuesday.

The girl, identified as C.M. in court documents, is not named in any of the child-rape or molestation charges against Robert “Roby” Roberson or his wife, Connie. But she testified at their Douglas County Superior Court trial that Roby Roberson touched her intimately and forced the children to have sex with each other.

“We did it because everyone did, and we were afraid if we didn’t, he’d hurt our loved ones,” the 12-year-old said as she clutched a stuffed dog.

Roberson initiated the alleged orgies by telling the children to “get started,” she testified.

“The first time we came there, he’d tell us what to do. After that, he’d just say to ‘get started,”’ she said.

The Robersons and 26 other adults have been charged since last fall with participating in what authorities describe as two loosely organized sex rings in operation since 1988.

Five of the cases have resulted in convictions and 12 defendants have pleaded guilty.

Roby Roberson is charged with four counts of first-degree child rape, five counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of second-degree child molestation.

Connie Roberson is charged with two counts of first-degree child rape and five counts of first-degree child molestation.

The Robersons deny the accusations. They contend the charges were filed in retaliation for their criticism of authorities’ motives and methods in the larger sex-ring investigation.

In the overall investigation, one person was acquitted and charges against three others were dismissed. Two people pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges. Three other cases are pending.

The girl said she never saw Connie Roberson touch any of the children. And she nodded when defense lawyer Robert Van Siclen asked her if she said during a pre-trial interview that Connie Roberson made popcorn in the kitchen while the children and other adults had sex in the basement of the East Wenatchee Pentecostal Church of God House of Prayer.

The adults would have sex with each other, and sometimes with a child, in another room in the basement, she said.

“I could see out of the corner of my eye,” she said. “It made me feel very awful.”

But the girl had trouble remembering details, such as how often the sleepovers occurred. She initially said they happened three to four times a month, then later said she meant that’s how often she attended church services.

She also had trouble remembering things she said during pre-trial interviews.

“I’m not good at remembering things like that,” she told Van Siclen during cross-examination. “I’m a present person.”

During one pre-trial interview, she told defense lawyers she had never been touched by Roberson. She said Tuesday she had suppressed the memory because it was so traumatic.

“I pushed the thoughts that hurt me way down inside me so I couldn’t remember,” she said.

She only remembered meeting Wenatchee police Detective Bob Perez once, and said, “I made up a lie that had nothing to do with this case.”

But she insisted she couldn’t remember the lie.

Perez has been a prime investigator in the sex ring cases.

The girl also said she didn’t remember the names of the children with whom she had sex.