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Parents of alleged sex-abuse victim doubt their daughter's claims against Happy Valley pastor
By Rick Bella
[with video] The mother of an alleged sex abuse victim told a Multnomah County jury Wednesday that her daughter never told her that Happy Valley Pastor Mike Sperou touched her inappropriately. Her daughter, Jessica Watson, never complained – even when asked as a child – if she was uncomfortable around Sperou, said Karen Hartman, a teacher in Sperou's North Clackamas Bible Community. So an allegation brought to light later by her daughter, doesn't ring true, she said. "The accusation doesn't make sense to me," Hartman said. Hartman's husband, Bill Hartman, an assistant pastor, also testified that Watson never told him of any abuse and that he doesn't believe any occurred. Sperou, 64, has been charged with three counts of first-degree sexual penetration of a child under the age of 12. If convicted on all counts, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of eight years, four months in prison. Seven women, including Watson, allege that Sperou sexually abused them when they were young girls growing up in the church during the 1980s and 1990s. The Oregonian/OregonLive generally does not disclose the names of possible sexual abuse victims. But all seven women who testified against Sperou in the trial have asked that their stories be told. The trial is focusing on three incidents alleged to have occurred in 1993-94 and one in 1995-96. All are Class A felonies. The alleged victim, Shannon Clark, told police that she withheld information from investigators in 1997 because "the culture of the church was to please Sperou" and because sexual contact from him "gave her validation within the church." Clark again took her complaint to police, leading to charges against Sperou. Meanwhile, Circuit Judge Cheryl A. Albrecht has allowed the other six women to testify for the prosecution. However, Albrecht said the jury is to consider their testimony only to judge whether Sperou may have touched Clark by accident or if it could have been part of an on-going pattern. There is no physical evidence in the case. The women – still young girls in 1997 – never were interviewed by child abuse experts at CARES Northwest. The jury may be faced with deciding solely on the basis of "he said-she said" testimony. At the same time, prosecutor Chris Mascal and Sperou's defense attorney, Steven J. Sherlag, have put the North Clackamas Bible Community on trial indirectly. The church professes conservative, orthodox Christian beliefs among its core members, who live communally in a group of rental homes that straddle the city limits of Portland and Happy Valley. Sunday services, along with weekly Bible study and language classes, are held in the homes. Church members credit the church with providing them with an extraordinary path to faith and commitment, allowing them to dedicate themselves to biblical scholarship. But if you believe prosecution witnesses, the church went downhill when Sperou began drinking heavily, taking drugs, having affairs with the wives in church families and sexually abusing young girls. Outside of the jury's presence, Sherlag expressed frustration Wednesday with the path the trial is taking. "We're in a cauldron where information is coming in from every direction," Sherlag told the judge. "So little about this case is about Shannon Clark. We're creating crazy sideshow issues." Albrecht said she was actively excluding testimony that strayed from the trial's focus. The judge also cautioned those seated in the courtroom gallery not to comment, smile, nod, grimace or display "body language" that could influence the jury. Sperou is expected to take the stand on his own behalf shortly before the defense wraps up its case, possibly by Thursday or Friday. Contact: rbella@oregonian.com
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