OREGON
The Oregonian
By Rick Bella | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on April 21, 2015
The defense in the child sex abuse case against Happy Valley Pastor Mike Sperou opened Tuesday by calling on a former prosecutor who rejected the allegations in 1997.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl A. Albrecht limited what the jury could hear, ruling that former Deputy District Attorney Rodney Hopkinson’s testimony could be prejudicial if he went into detail about why he declined to prosecute Sperou back then.
Sperou, who leads the North Clackamas Bible Community, has been charged with three counts of first-degree sexual penetration. If convicted on all counts, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of eight years, four months in prison.
Seven women 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 connected with the case have come forward, asking that their stories be told.
Prosecutor Chris Mascal called on all seven women to testify over five days before resting Monday. The women — including Shannon Clark, the alleged victim in this case – all told the jury that Sperou took advantage of his position as church leader and abused them.
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