WENATCHEE WITCH HUNT
        Wenatchee, Washington:  a sleepy community nestled in the center of 
Washington state's world-famous apple valley, populated with those who 
choose to be close to nature, some transients escaping the hustle and bustle 
of faster paced urban areas, along with farm workers, writers, and aging 
hippies from the seventies.  The biggest crime in this community is being 
caught with marijuana, and so even the business of criminal defense was 
low-key...at least until the summer of 1994.  That's when one Detective 
Perez discovered a child abuse sex ring hidden away in the still 
country-side, in private homes and in church.
        Allegedly, adults and children met in a Pentacostal Church under the 
pretense of worship, only to perform group sex acts upon innocent children, 
their children. The minister and his wife are among the most recent arrests, 
and the setting of a one million dollar bail for each.  Bob Kinkade, the 
VOCAL leader in the area states, "It's a witch hunt.  They are really 
overstepping their bounds here."  Kinkade, an East Wenatchee man is trying 
to convince the public, media and public officials that the charges just 
don't add up.  
        Kinkade is a former police office who was accused of sexual abuse of 
his teen-age stepdaughter in 1993 and 1994.  A jury found him innocent of 
some charges, but were deadlocked on others.  Kinkade has maintained his 
innocence.
        NASVO and California VOCAL Special Services Office became aware of 
Wenatchee's problems when they received a request to interview two girls who 
were on Christmas vacation in California with their aunt and uncle late 
December, 1994.  They had just received the news that their parents were 
arrested in Wenatchee for molesting them.  They had never been interviewed 
by law enforcement or social services and were horrified at the allegations, 
in that they were false.  The girls gave statments to a VOCAL child abuse 
consultant on video tape reiterating this information and denying any abuse.
        The girls were later extradited to Wenatchee, and placed in foster 
care and one was institutionalized.  During the trial the girls testified 
that they were coerced by prosecution, however two other siblings, one boy 
aged seventeen, testified that he had witnessed his sisters being abused, 
and an eight year old girl, who had also been institutionalized, suddenly
experienced repressed memory during trial, recalling events that matched the 
charges.  The parents were convicted by the repressed memory testimony.
        Once involved in this case, VOCAL discovered a horror story that is 
parallel to the Bakersfield cases in 1984, a decade ago.  Perez, the lead
detective in the Wenatchee police department, became a foster parent some
time prior to the summer of 1994.  That summer, he had a 10 year old girl 
placed in his care because of physical abuse by her parents. It is important 
to note that he was the investigating officer in that girl's case. Perez was 
also receiving pay for being a foster parent.  In Washington state, as in 
many states, foster parents receive additional income should the children in 
their care be declared "special needs" children.  This category includes 
children with physical or emotional disabilities or ailments, and this often 
includes sexually abused children because of their on-going need for 
specialized mental health treatment.  While in Perez' care, this child 
suddenly claimed that not only had she suffered physical abuse, but that she 
had been molested.  Her parents were re-charged with sexual abuse.
        Shortly after this new charge, the girl began to disclose to Perez, 
who was and still is the primary investigator in these cases, that she had 
witnessed group molestations.  When asked to identify the children involved, 
she identified children she went to school with, all about her age in her 
class or related classmates.  Perez then would later arrive at the school 
with a social worker (also a close friend) and would pull the children 
individually out of class and interrogate them in a private office...alone.  
Some of these children have come forth and have stated that the social 
worker wouldn't stay in the office throughout the interrogation and once 
alone, Perez would threaten and intimidate them by stating that he would 
have to arrest their parents, unless they would admit that they were 
molested.
        Perez denies this and his denial is supported by the social worker, 
who works with him on all of these cases.
        Perez' interview tactics were also challenged by a former social 
worker named Paul Glassen, who in August of 1994 interviewed a girl who was 
a foster child of a foster parent who had been one of those fingered by
Perez' own foster child.  The elderly foster parent, a single man, had been 
a foster parent to over fify children.
        Glassen had interviewed a developmentally delayed girl who had been 
in his care and had been interviewed by Perez.  The girl told Glassen about 
Perez' intimidation, and Glassen immediately reported her statements along 
with his concerns to the authorities.  Glassen was then arrested and charged 
with "obstructing a police officer," a charge that was ultimately dropped.  
He was placed on administrative leave from D.S.S., but then fired in March 
of 1995 for "incorrectly reporting child abuse."
        Glassen wasn't alone.  A former supervisor of CPS in Wenatchee also 
dared to question the manner in which Perez' cases were being handled, was 
fired.  Both the supervisor and Glassen have filed law suits regarding
their dismissals.
        Wenatchee has made both national and local news regarding Perez' 
actions. The citizens of this community are both shocked and confused. Many 
support the Robertsons, a family that had given much to the poor and needy 
in Wenatchee through their church.  Others believe that the police just 
couldn't be wrong.  Still others are fearful to voice any opinion.  After
all, they may be next.
Editor's note:  Wenatchee has yet another claim to fame.  It was featured
recently in a PBS special as the Prozac capital of the world with the 
highest population per capita on the drug.  Some burning questions:  Perhaps 
Prozac has more properties to it than simply being an anti-depressant. Could 
it possibly "kill" the conscience or confuse reality?
~~~ ReneWave v1.00.wb2 (unregistered)
--- Mankind = One Family
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