Pastor Charges Abuse By Police Roberson Testifies At Hearing To Overturn Pair’s Convictions

An East Wenatchee pastor, acquitted of charges in the so-called Wenatchee child-sex-rings case, testified Monday he was targeted by investigators after he came to the defense of a couple now trying to withdraw their guilty pleas.

Pastor Robert “Roby” Roberson said he was close to Harold and Idella Everett and their children, who were members of his church, and never saw any evidence of abuse at their home.

The Everetts are both illiterate, and Everett has tested as low as 58 on intelligence tests where 100 is considered average.

Roberson and the Everetts were among 28 people in Chelan and Douglas counties accused of raping and molesting children in the so-called sex-ring cases in 1994 and 1995. Fourteen people pleaded guilty, five were convicted and charges were dismissed or greatly reduced against six others. Three people were acquitted. One of the convictions was overturned by an appellate court, resulting in a guilty plea to reduced charges.

The Everetts both entered Alford pleas in November 1994, in which they admitted no wrongdoing but agreed that the state had enough evidence to convict them of sexually abusing children. He is serving a 23-year sentence and she is nearing the end of a nearly five-year term.

Roberson said he became a target in the sex-ring investigations after he spoke out at an East Wenatchee community meeting on March 23, 1995, to criticize police handing of the case.

He said he displayed some of the Everetts’ documents at the meeting, and that two police officers later tried to confiscate them.

Five days later, he said, he was arrested on multiple counts of child molestation. He was acquitted of all charges in December 1995.