Sex Ring Lawsuits To Be Refiled 10 Plaintiffs Say Their Rights Were Violated By Authorities

A lawsuit filed in Thurston County on behalf of seven adults and three children who say their rights were violated by authorities in the Wenatchee sex rings case has been withdrawn - but will be refiled east of the Cascades, lawyers said Wednesday.

Auburn attorney Robert Van Siclen said he withdrew the lawsuit this week after studying objections filed by the opposing lawyer, Pat McMahon of Wenatchee, that the case was filed in the wrong county.

“We concluded that he was mostly right and surely close enough to the mark that we didn’t want to have any errors or mistakes in what we were doing,” Van Siclen said.

McMahon had argued that his clients - the city of Wenatchee, Police Chief Ken Badgley and police Detective Bob Perez - must be sued in Chelan County under state law because that’s both where they live and where the alleged wrongdoings occurred.

Also named as defendants in the lawsuit were Douglas and Chelan counties, correctional agencies in both counties, the state Department of Social and Health Services, whose Child Protective Services was involved in the case, and other individuals involved in the investigations.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Robert “Roby” Roberson and his wife, Connie, who were acquitted in December of charges that they had sex with children at their East Wenatchee church and home.

The other adult plaintiffs are Honnah Sims, who was acquitted last summer of child rape; her husband, Jonathan Sims, who was not charged; Donna Rodriguez and Karen Lopez, against whom charges of child rape or molestation were dismissed; and Susan Everett, who in exchange for dismissal of felony charges pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

Van Siclen said he would file lawsuits in both Chelan and Douglas counties, then ask the court to consolidate the cases and move the resulting case to another area.

McMahon said he would vehemently oppose moving the civil trial.

“If they’re claiming there’s been undue media coverage of these cases, that was brought up primarily by Mr. Roberson and his unquenching thirst for (broadcasting) propaganda against a police investigation,” McMahon said.

Roberson has been a frequent guest on nationally syndicated television talk shows as well as appearing regularly on state radio and television programs to criticize the sex-ring investigation.