|
Happy Valley Pastor Mike Sperou maintains innocence, denies sexually abusing children
By Rick Bella
Pastor Mike Sperou testified in his own defense Tuesday, adamantly denying he sexually abused young girls growing up in his Happy Valley church during the 1980s and 1990s. However, Sperou had a harder time during cross-examination, appearing to change his story from the one he told Portland police detectives in 1997. On Tuesday, Sperou's trial entered its 11th day, including 10 consecutive days of testimony. Under questioning by defense attorney Steven J. Sherlag, Sperou told a Multnomah County Circuit Court jury that the core families in the North Clackamas Bible Community are very affectionate with children and that he was sorry if he ever made any of them uncomfortable when they spent the night with him in his bed. He said he contacted the girls' parents immediately afterward to see if the children were all right. Sperou said he also decided that he did not want to give anyone another chance to misinterpret his innocent affections. "I said, 'That's it. That's the last time I let anyone stay over,'" Sperou said. He also said the world's attitudes toward adult-child affection have changed because of a few high-profile cases. Allowing children to spend time in the bed of an adult man – however well-intentioned – has become taboo, he said. "Today, with social mores, nobody in their right mind would do that ... Michael Jackson," Sperou said. 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 and four months in prison. Seven women allege 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. Under cross-examination by prosecutor Chris Mascal, Sperou repeatedly disagreed with a 1997 police report in which he said he "could have" inappropriately touched the women – young girls at the time -- but either didn't remember clearly or the contact was accidental. But Tuesday, when Mascal asked Sperou to comment on allegations in the report, he answered with an emphatic "No!" or "That never happened!" Sperou testified that he believes the girls' parents are largely behind their daughters' complaints. He said he believes they are "trying to take me down spiritually." However, under cross-examination, Sperou agreed that the parents of two of the women remain in the church, serving in positions of responsibility and authority. Sperou testified that he had a difficult childhood and became a ward of the court after his mother died, when he was 8 years old. He and his three siblings were shuttled through a series of foster homes. A Vietnam War combat veteran who still carries shrapnel in his body, Sperou said he didn't realize his anxiety attacks were caused by post-traumatic stress disorder until he was diagnosed in the early 1990s. Before that, he said, he self-medicated with "Vicodin and beer," trying to find some inner peace. But since then he has been undergoing treatment and has regained control of his life. Still, however, Sperou is beset by tics and twitches he attributes to his PTSD. He barely can sit still while testifying. Sperou founded the church in 1980, along with Associate Pastor Kevin Mitchell, and began recruiting for a community of devotees committed to intense biblical study, along with working to apply the principles in their daily lives. Eventually, the core members moved into a cluster of rental homes straddling the city limits of Portland and Happy Valley, where they live communally and study the Bible together. Services are held in the homes, along with classes and workshops. Sperou said living together allows church members to maintain focus on self-improvement while helping others to become the kind of people they want to be. The trial has presented the jury with conflicting pictures of the church. While saying they aspire to conservative, orthodox Christian ideals, several witnesses for both the prosecution and the defense admitted that they were engaged in extramarital affairs with other church members. One affair resulted in a child. Sperou testified Tuesday that he had "relationships with almost everybody" but later said the relationships weren't sexual. He said he had affairs with two married women in the church. One, the former Judy Martin, the mother of alleged victim Amy Martin, later married Sperou after he divorced his first wife. But by all accounts, the heavy drinking, drug use and adultery was a passing phase for some members, who have restored the social order in the church. 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, was among seven girls who complained in 1997 that Sperou had molested them. No charges were brought, however, because a deputy district attorney evaluating the case found the girls' stories were inconsistent or vague. Regardless of the outcome in 1997, the allegations reverberated throughout the church, leading to a major split and exodus. About one-third of the members left the church immediately afterward. Fifteen years later, the girls -- by then adult women -- again took their complaints to police. After an investigation, authorities found that the statute of limitations had expired on most of the complaints and that only Clark brought up additional allegations not considered in 1997. However, the other six women also were allowed to tell the jury about their own experiences with Sperou. Judge Cheryl A. Albrecht said the jury is to consider the six women's testimony only to decide whether Sperou may have touched Clark accidentally or if it was part of an ongoing pattern. Another woman, Michal Mitchell, called as a defense witness, said she repeatedly has spent the night in Sperou's bed, with a long pillow named "Sally" between them. Mitchell, Sperou's niece, also said Clark was unreliable and sometimes lied. There is no physical evidence in the case. The women -- still young girls in 1997 -- never were interviewed by child-abuse experts. The jury will be deciding solely on the basis of conflicting "he said/she said" testimony. The trial is expected to wrap up later this week. Contact: rbella@oregonian.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.