Roberson Child Abuse Case
Roberson Child Abuse Case
Wenatchee, Washington became known to the world in 1995 after being the setting of what is considered to be history’s most widespread child abuse case. It all started when Robert and Connie Roberson were accused for sexual abuse of children by Donna Perez. Thirteen year old Donna Perez told her father, Robert Perez, whom became the leading detective of the case, that she was sexually molested. She stated that other children was also molested or raped by every adult she knew. Donna showed two social workers the locations were her and others were repeatedly raped.
Authorities began to arrest and Robert and Connie Roberson were arrested off suspicion of more than a 1,000 counts of first degree child rape. Along with them there was forty-three other adults arrested on charges of sexual abuse involving 60 children. Most people that were accused were poor, mentally disable or illiterate. It was said by children that detectives made them confess by threatening to take them away from their parents. During trail Perez admitted that he bruised a victim to encourage them to testify. Perez took Roberson’s daughter away from him, stating that she was also being sexually abused but during trail she stated that she never was molested by her parents.
However the Roberson’s were found innocent because there was no physical evidence to support the charges and only one main witness, which was Donna Perez. Everyone else who was convicted was freed by higher courts and their convictions were overturned. Those who were convicted filed a civil lawsuit against Wenatchee, Perez, and anyone else involved in the investigation.
The case caused the city of Wenatchee to split, with those who believed that children were rape one side and those who thought that a police officer started an uprising of sexual hysteria causing adults to be bullied into confession and children into accusing. Lots of people questioned the case and why would Donna Perez say such
Wenatchee, Washington became known to the world in 1995 after being the setting of what is considered to be history’s most widespread child abuse case. It all started when Robert and Connie Roberson were accused for sexual abuse of children by Donna Perez. Thirteen year old Donna Perez told her father, Robert Perez, whom became the leading detective of the case, that she was sexually molested. She stated that other children was also molested or raped by every adult she knew. Donna showed two social workers the locations were her and others were repeatedly raped.
Authorities began to arrest and Robert and Connie Roberson were arrested off suspicion of more than a 1,000 counts of first degree child rape. Along with them there was forty-three other adults arrested on charges of sexual abuse involving 60 children. Most people that were accused were poor, mentally disable or illiterate. It was said by children that detectives made them confess by threatening to take them away from their parents. During trail Perez admitted that he bruised a victim to encourage them to testify. Perez took Roberson’s daughter away from him, stating that she was also being sexually abused but during trail she stated that she never was molested by her parents.
However the Roberson’s were found innocent because there was no physical evidence to support the charges and only one main witness, which was Donna Perez. Everyone else who was convicted was freed by higher courts and their convictions were overturned. Those who were convicted filed a civil lawsuit against Wenatchee, Perez, and anyone else involved in the investigation.
The case caused the city of Wenatchee to split, with those who believed that children were rape one side and those who thought that a police officer started an uprising of sexual hysteria causing adults to be bullied into confession and children into accusing. Lots of people questioned the case and why would Donna Perez say such