The Wenatchee investigations, conducted jointly by local law enforcement officials and CPS workers, involved allegations against more than 80 adults and led to the prosecution of 38 people in 1994 and 1995 in Chelan and Douglas counties. Many of the cases involved allegations that groups of adults had sexually abused their own and other people’s children. Ultimately, 25 people were convicted of crimes involving sexual abuse against children. Of these, 17 defendants pled guilty, and eight were convicted at trial. Of the remaining thirteen defendants, three were acquitted of all charges, eight had their charges dismissed, and two had charges reduced to non-sex offenses. In addition, these investigations led to the temporary or permanent removal of at least 42 children from the care of their parents.

One of the most striking features of the Wenatchee investigations is the way the content of the children’s sexual abuse allegations changed over time.1 The investigations began with the kinds of allegations that are commonly handled by the child protection and criminal justice systems. Later in the investigation process allegations were of the type that are considered unusual. This section presents an overview of that progression.

Progression of Children’s Sex Abuse Allegations

The Wenatchee sexual abuse investigations present a progression over time from the types of allegations that are common in child sexual abuse cases, to those that are uncommon. This section illustrates this progression, using as examples some of the specific Wenatchee investigations. It is not our intent here to discuss every case or to fully set forth the facts of each case discussed. Nor will this section present or defend hypotheses about why this progression took place. Rather, it is our intent to present a factual overview of the progression. The facts set forth in this section are contained in police reports, DCFS files, and/or court records. To preserve the privacy of individuals and families involved in the investigations and at the same time avoid the confusion of using initials in place of names, we have chosen to use pseudonyms.

Kinds of Allegations Commonly Made in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Prior to 1994, the kind of sexual abuse allegations that formed the basis for criminal charges and child protective actions in Wenatchee looked much like those commonly seen by child abuse investigators. These were allegations that a single person with access to a child, such as a parent or family friend, had sexually abused the child without other adults present. Examples of those kinds of allegations are as follows:

• Everson Girl: In February 1992, the 7-year-old Everson girl reported to her teacher and school counselor that her "privates" hurt. An investigation by CPS and police led to the eventual charging and conviction of the boyfriend of the child’s sister. He was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison.

• Manning Girl: In March 1993, the 8-year-old Manning girl told her mother that a friend of the family had sexually molested her. In a follow-up investigation by CPS and a detective, the suspect made incriminating statements to the detective. The suspect eventually pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

• Hull Girl: In September 1993, the 9-year-old Hull girl reported to a rape crisis worker that her father was sexually molesting her. In subsequent interviews with police and CPS, the Hull girl repeated the allegations. Mr. Hull confessed and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Beginning in 1994, the kinds of sexual abuse allegations made by children changed in character. This change coincided with Detective Palmer becoming lead sex crimes detective for the Wenatchee Police Department. A pattern emerged whereby cases that came to the attention of authorities because of allegations of child sexual abuse perpetrated by a male family member or friend, later resulted in allegations by the child against the child’s mother. In some instances, children alleged that their mothers were involved in trading or sharing their children for sexual activities with other adults. Convictions involving mothers and other women for child sexual abuse are relatively rare.2 Cases in which women in Wenatchee were charged with, and convicted of, molesting their children included:

• Tobin Family: In March 1994, the Tobin brothers (ages 11 and 14) disclosed to a rape crisis worker that their father had been sexually molesting them. Detective Palmer interviewed the boys briefly. Mr. Tobin confessed to Detective Palmer and eventually pled guilty to abusing his sons. Several days after Mr. Tobin’s arrest Detective Palmer, accompanied by two CPS social workers, contacted Mrs. Tobin at her home and told her that he thought she might be involved. She confessed to Detective Palmer to abusing her sons and eventually entered an Alford plea.3 She was sentenced to almost 11 years in prison. She has not appealed her conviction.

• Carrington Family. In May 1994, a 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carrington was admitted to Pine Crest Psychiatric Hospital in Idaho where she disclosed to medical staff that her father had sexually abused her. Mr. Carrington confessed to Detective Palmer that he had been molesting all four of his daughters. He eventually pled guilty. After Detective Palmer obtained the confession from Mr. Carrington, he interviewed two of the daughters who implicated Mrs. Carrington. Mrs. Carrington was then charged as an accomplice to Mr. Carrington’s abuse and was convicted at trial. She was sentenced to 46.5 years in prison. Her conviction was later overturned by the Court of Appeals on the basis that Mr. Carrington’s confession had been improperly used at trial against her. The charges against her were later dismissed.

• Hull Family: Ten months after making the allegations against her father (which are referred to in the above section), the Hull girl told her foster mother that her mother, Mrs. Hull, participated in the sexual abuse. Mrs. Hull confessed to Detective Palmer and entered an Alford plea. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Her conviction was affirmed on appeal.

• Everson Family: Two years after making the report referred to in the above section the Everson girl, now aged 10, told Detective Palmer (who had become her foster father) that her father and mother had sexually abused her and her four siblings. This allegation was made at the Palmer home. The mother confessed to Detective Palmer in the presence of a CPS social worker, and both parents entered Alford pleas. An appellate court later allowed the Eversons to withdraw their pleas on the grounds that the investigators’ interview techniques of the suspects and their children were improper. The prosecutor declined to re-file charges.

• Manning Family: A year and a half after the Manning girl reported abuse by a family friend, the Everson girl’s older sister told Detective Palmer and CPS workers that Mrs. Manning was involved in group sexual activities. Mrs. Manning was arrested and charged with sexually abusing the Everson girls and her own children. She was convicted at trial and sentenced to 33 years in prison. Her conviction was later overturned by the Court of Appeals who concluded that Mrs. Manning should have been allowed to present expert testimony about why a person may give a false confession under certain circumstances. She later pled guilty to misdemeanor offenses and was released from prison.

• Bell Family: In September 1994, Ms. Bell told a CPS social worker that she was sexually abusing her 7-year-old son. The social worker interviewed the child who confirmed that his mother was abusing him. Later, Ms. Bell confessed to Detective Palmer in the presence of the social worker. She was charged and entered an Alford plea. She was sentenced to 16.5 years in prison. Her conviction was affirmed on appeal. Ms. Bell’s boyfriend and a female family friend were also charged. Charges against the them were dismissed after the court found the child to be an incompetent witness.

• Dodge Family: In December 1994, Mr. and Mrs. Dodge sought counseling when they found out that one of their sons had molested one of their daughters. CPS and Detective Palmer questioned the five children in the family. Four of them made allegations that they had been molested by both parents. The detective and CPS also questioned the parents, but they did not confess. They were found guilty at trial. The convictions were eventually reversed on appeal for evidentiary reasons. The Court of Appeals directed the trial court to hold a hearing on whether the state improperly influenced the children’s statements and testimony. The prosecutor’s appeal of this decision is still pending.

Children’s allegations in 1994 also included reports that Mr. and Mrs. Hull, Mr. and Mrs. Tobin, together with another mother, Mrs. Grant, were trading or sharing their children among themselves and with others for group sexual abuse activities. Some of the reports alleged that the sexual activities had been videotaped, although no videotapes were ever located. Mrs. Grant was convicted at trial for abusing the Hull children and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Her conviction was upheld on appeal.4

In 1995, the pattern of child sexual abuse allegations in Wenatchee expanded to include the types of allegations that are not commonly made. These include allegations that previously unmentioned parents were involved in the group sexual activities that are referred to in the above section; that a foster parent and a CWS social worker were jointly sexually abusing children; and that a local church was conducting regular and organized sexual abuse of children. Most of these allegations were initiated or confirmed by the same 10-year-old Everson girl who has been referred to in earlier sections, and who by this time had been residing as a foster daughter in Detective Palmer’s home for about 10 months.

• On January 20, 1995, the Everson girl reported to Detective Palmer that, in addition to molesting her and her siblings, her parents had also participated in the group sexual activities with the Hull and Tobin families. Some of the children in these families were re-interviewed by CPS social workers and Detective Palmer, and a number of them confirmed the stories of group abuse.5

• In January 1995, the Everson girl also reported to Detective Palmer that Mr. Duvall, her former foster father, had sexually abused her when she lived in his home.6 In February 1995, the Everson girl’s allegations expanded and she reported that Mr. Duvall allowed other adults, including a CWS social worker, Mr. Gallagher, to have group sex with many children at her former foster home. She also alleged that Mr. Duvall and Mr. Gallagher sexually abused her at her own home before she was placed into foster care with Mr. Duvall. She said that they sexually abused her in the mornings with her parents before she went to kindergarten. These allegations were confirmed by other children and adults interviewed by investigators. Prosecutors filed additional charges against Duvall who had already been charged with sexual abuse against two other foster daughters. Eventually all sexual abuse charges against Duvall were dismissed. Mr. Gallagher was never arrested or charged with sexual abuse.

• By March 1995, the Everson girl had listed at least 22 persons as her abusers. On March 13, Detective Palmer and two CPS social workers drove the Everson child through the neighborhoods of the community for the purpose of having her identify persons and places involved in the sexual abuse of children. She identified 23 different locations where she had been sexually abused and named a number of additional people, bringing to 56 the total number of persons she accused of molesting her. Included among the accused were Pastor and Mrs. Rasmussen, who ran a local church.7 The Everson girl told Palmer and CPS social workers that group sexual activities, involving many adults and children, were occurring at the church on a regular basis. Pastor Rasmussen had been a friend of the Everson family and had been publicly critical of the actions of Wenatchee police officials and CPS social workers regarding the sex crimes investigations. Following these allegations a number of individuals were charged, and in some cases, convicted of child sexual abuse crimes. Pastor Rasmussen and his wife, and a church Sunday school teacher were charged, but acquitted at trial.