Wife of Happy Valley Pastor Says She Doesn't Believe Her Daughter's Claims of Sexual Abuse
By Rick Bella
The wife of embattled Pastor Mike Sperou testified Wednesday that she still doesn't believe her daughter's claim that her husband sexually abused her when she was growing up in his Happy Valley church. Judy Sperou, mother of alleged victim Amy Robinson, told a Multnomah County jury that she has remained loyal to the man she married after her daughter told police in 1997 that she had been molested. "I didn't believe her then," Judy Sperou told prosecutor Chris Mascal, who then asked if she believed her daughter now. "No." Judy Sperou, a teacher for North Clackamas Bible Community, is among five parents who discounted their daughters' claims of abuse and remained in leadership roles at the church. The disagreements have split families and triggered an exodus from the church, which Pastor Mike Sperou continues to lead. Mike Sperou, 64, has been charged with three counts of first-degree sexual penetration of a person under the age of 12. If convicted on all counts, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of eight years, four months in prison. In 1997, Robinson was one of seven girls who complained that Sperou had molested them. No charges were brought, however, because the girls' stories were inconsistent or vague. New charges were filed last year, naming Shannon Clark as the sole victim in the case. However, the other six women – Robinson and Jennifer Olajuyin, Jessica Watson, Emily Bertram, Bryn Garrett and Rachel Schackart – testified about their own experiences. Circuit Judge Cheryl A. Albrecht has advised jury members that they are to consider their testimony only to determine whether Mike Sperou may have accidentally touched Shannon Clark or if it was part of an ongoing pattern. The Oregonian/OregonLive generally does not disclose the names of possible sexual abuse victims. But Clark and other women connected with the case have come forward, asking that their stories be told. On Wednesday, Judy Sperou told the jury that she found great solace and direction in the church, which she joined in 1983, just three years after Mike Sperou and Associate Pastor Kevin Mitchell established it. She said she was impressed with the members' commitment to faith, their dedication to scholarship and the supportive community it provided. At the time, Judy Sperou was married to Paul Martin, who left the church in 1997, taking their daughter with him. After the Martins divorced and Mike Sperou divorced his first wife, Carol, Judy Martin married Mike Sperou. Under questioning by defense attorney Steven J. Sherlag, Judy Sperou said she rarely talks to her daughter, calling their relationship strained. She also cried when shown photos of sisters Bryn Garrett and Rachel Schackart. "I miss them," Judy Sperou said. Later Wednesday, during the prosecution's rebuttal, Paul Martin testified that after a long, alcohol-fueled day of golf in the early 1990s, Mike Sperou requested that Jennifer Olajuyin be sent to his bedroom for "alone time." Martin said he insisted that the door be left open or he would call the police. Under cross-examination, however, Martin admitted that even though he was a paramedic -- under the law a "mandatory reporter" of suspected abuse -- he didn't call police or the state Department of Human Resources. Jessica Watson testified that despite her parents' claims of ignorance, they edited an essay she wrote for a college scholarship in which she said she had survived sexual abuse as a child. She also identified notes in the margins of an early draft of her essay as her parents' handwriting. Under cross-examination, however, Watson admitted that she was not a handwriting expert. "But I know my parents' handwriting," she said. Watson's brothers, Joe and Kevin, also testified that their parents, Assistant Pastor Bill Hartman and church teacher Karen Hartman, indicated that they became aware of the abuse allegations years after the initial reports. Both said their parents offered indirect apologies for not better protecting their daughter and the other girls. Jennifer Olajuyin testified that she revealed details of her sexual abuse complaint to her parents in 2007. She said her father, Assistant Pastor Greg Kirchem, told her that Mike Sperou "probably repented," indicating that he should be forgiven for any transgressions. Former church members Jean McSherry and Roger Whaley both testified that Associate Pastor Kevin Mitchell urged them to lie to police or in court about anything that could damage the church's reputation. Closing arguments are expected to begin Thursday morning. The jury could begin deliberations as early as Thursday afternoon. -- Rick Bella rbella@oregonian.com
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