The Pastor Goes On Trial

IN WHAT PROMISES TO BE the most sensational of the Wenatchee, Wash., child-sex-ring cases, a Pentecostal preacher and his wife go on trial this week for raping and molesting children in their East Wenatchee home and church. Last March Pastor Roby Roberson and his wife, Connie, were arrested and charged with 22 counts of child-sex abuse,most stemming from allegations by the then 10-year-old foster daughter of the town's chief sex-crimes detective, Bob Perez. On the eve of the trial prosecutors dropped most of the original charges, added new ones and listed four more children as alleged victims, including the couple's 5-year-old daughter. The trial opens amid growing criticism of the way the Wenatchee cases have been handled. Critics contend that investigators coerced children into making false accusations and adults into confessions. At Gov. Mike Lowry's request, the U.S. Justice Department last month agreed to review the cases.