Judge Drops Two Counts In Child Sex-Ring Trial Church Members Testify In Defense Of East Wenatchee Pastor, Wife

A parade of church members testified Thursday that they never saw any sexual activity at an East Wenatchee church where a Pentecostal preacher and his wife are accused of organizing orgies with children.

The defense for unordained pastor Robert “Roby” Roberson and his wife, Connie, opened with 14 testimonials after Douglas County Superior Court Judge T.W. “Chip” Small agreed to dismiss two first-degree child molestation charges.

Each defendant faced one charge involving the same 5-year-old girl. Small ruled there was no evidence to support the time frame in which prosecutors alleged the incident occurred.

Small also lowered a charge of second-degree child molestation, filed against Roberson, to third-degree child molestation after prosecutors noted the boy was 14 when the alleged incident took place.

Fondling a child 12 or older but younger than 14 is a second-degree molestation offense, while the charge is third-degree if the child is between 14 and 16.

Roberson now is charged with four counts of first-degree child rape, four counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of third-degree child molestation.

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

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

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.

The prosecution rested Thursday after calling the fourth of the alleged child victims, a 13-year-old girl called M.E. in documents.

The girl, who rarely spoke in full sentences and answered most questions with a barely audible “yes” or “no,” said children were taken into the church basement and ordered by Roberson to undress before they were tied up and raped by the adults in the church.

The girl fidgeted nervously with a long silver necklace as she answered questions.

On cross-examination, the girl named a list of other children she said were forced to participate in the orgies. But at least four of those children testified they never encountered any sexual activity at the church or at the Robersons’ home.

M.E. would not describe what happened during the alleged orgies. When asked what happened when she attended church, she answered, “Bad stuff.”