Exhortation

I chose to read the charging documents for the case against Christopher Dupea. I haven't been able to get the information out of my mind.

I am not naive, I understand there is a due process and I do believe in innocent until proven guilty. With that said, I do not believe a person is innocent simply because they say they are or because they "seem like such a good person." Remember, I have lived this, from the other side. Also, from my experience, I believe shutting out individuals that ask valid questions or encourage the seeking of truth (even if that truth is one you don't want) is a red flag. 

In this situation the community that wants to desperately support the Dupea family and uplift the parents are admirable. From my own experience I am just fearful that the church community will blindly support whatever they are told without fact checking. My desire is for all involved to download the available court documents and read them. Know what you are supporting. Attend the court dates, if at all possible. It's amazing what is revealed in the courtroom. 

This stuff is real! Child porn is real! Childhood sexual abuse is an epidemic! It does actually happen. In YOUR community! I do not want to know the details of what Chris is being charged with! " It is reprehensible and disgusting. It is NORMAL to NOT want to know but what is the alternative in a civil society?" a quote from a dear friend. We could ignore childhood sexual abuse and hope it doesn't touch our child and just goes away....I am here to tell you that ignoring it gives the predators power to continue. AND THAT IT CAN TOUCH YOUR FAMILY! Is that really what you want? Would that be worth not knowing the sortied details?

I am willing to expose myself to the ugly details involved in cases that effect my community in hopes of exposing it and shinning the light on it so that my children can continue to be children, untouched by a sexual predator. Isn't that our job as parents? Be informed! Be aware! Know what you are supporting!

If you are asked to write a letter of leniency on behalf, of Chris my only request is that prior to agreeing to do so that you read all court documents that are public record from the convenience of your own home. If you have questions the detective in charge of the case is usually willing to speak with concerned citizens.

Pierce County Court Records Link - Be sure to click criminal records

Character Reference Letters

If you remember, I have referred to -letters of character reference- that a variety of family members, church members, and some church leaders in our community wrote on behalf of Patrick. These were written to say what a great guy Patrick was and what an asset to our community he was and that it would be a waste for him to serve real time in prison for just a moment of poor judgment. These letters boasted that Patrick was repentant. The people who wrote the letters claimed to have already seen a change for the better in Patrick.

There was an Eagle Scout who claimed to be an excellent judge of character. He eloquently stated his personal relationship with Patrick. He wrote a very persuasive letter to the judge requesting that leniency be extended to Patrick. There was also a leader from the Heritage Homeschool Organization that wrote a letter on behalf of Patrick using the organization's letterhead and signing with his official title. I could go on and on.

None of these people ever contacted us to verify information they were selectively given by the Rojas family and the leaders of PHF. Nor did they bother to contact the prosecutor or detective involved in our case. One thing that I still don't understand to this day is that, for some reason, Patrick and his lawyer requested that the contents of the letters be sealed. We were able to read each individual letter in the prosecutors office, but haven't been able to attain actual copies because they aren't in the public file.

People would argue that these individuals made a simple judgment error in writing these letters. Fine. But that doesn't take away the consequences of their errors. After the deceit of the Rojas family was revealed and after Patrick was shown to be deviant and dangerous, only one individual felt compelled to write a retraction and send it to the courts. Out of 30+ letters, only one wrote a retraction. Patrick David Rojas, a convicted level-two sex offender who admitted to having sexual interaction with animals, who admitted to peeping in on mothers and daughters in bathrooms, and who admitted to other victims including a baby.

This has always bothered me!


What I hope you will learn from this is to be very careful of you will vouch for. Especially, when pleading for leniency for a crime committed. The letters do influence the judge. Ask questions. Contact the detective involved in the case. Download the public legal documents and read exactly what the person is being charged with. You can learn a lot sometimes just by reading the charging documents. Certain crimes, in order to be committed successfully, take deceiving others around the criminal. Don't be fooled into supporting a sexual predator.   


*From "This Has Always Bothered Me" post.

Last Time Eddie Was Seen In Washington State

The evaluation revealed that Patrick at (15yrs of age) was "caught" and that he was disciplined by his father, he repented and all was forgiven. Then again at (age 17)  Patrick was caught another time. This time Patrick shared that both his parents talked with him, that he repented and all was forgiven.

Life as normal to the outside world.

As part of the evaluation, Patrick had to reveal all of his minor victims and outline the crimes in detail. What I am willing to say about the other victims: ages range from 18 months old to11yrs old. Patrick was actively victimizing someone when he was between the ages of 15-22, (then we reported him.) Out of the five additional victims four of them could qualify him for 4 charges of child molestation in the first degree and the fifth would be a lesser charge. (Patrick states that per his lawyers advise he only gives the age, sex and details of the sexual abuse of his 5 additional victims. He does however name the adult sister that he had consensual sexual contact with. Along with the details of what was done to my child.)

Eric and I were told to keep the sex/psycho evaluation information quiet. This was an ongoing investigation and we shouldn't talk about it. It would be two more months before Patrick's sentencing day and before all the information would become publicly accessible.

We didn't know at the sentencing that we would be dealt the final blow.(At least we hoped it is was final blow, but it wasn't...) The Sunday before Patrick was sentenced Eddie Rojas stepped down from his role as Pastor of the church. Eddie attended Patrick's sentencing and was approached by CPS and was asked to produce the girls for an interview. Eddie asked for some time. He told others that he was taking his family camping to get away from everything and that's the last Eddie or the minor children have been seen in Washington State. 


Evaluation Request Information:http://ourstoryhelp.blogspot.com/2010/10/evaluation-request.html

Believers

I wish when another believer discovers that I do not attend a church currently because of "something bad that happened to our family," their response would be different than it almost always is. Lots of people go right to some of the familiar ones, "man failed you not God, you need to be in fellowship at a church" or "Churches are hospitals, we are all sinners" or "The person tries to sale their church as the safe one to attend" or "You can't experience God the same way outside of the church."

What I wish a fellow christian would ask me when they find out I don't attend a church because of a past hurt, would be, "do you have support from other believers around you?" I wish that would be a persons concern. Maybe even ask me, how my relationship with God is, right now.

Because really how does a church help someone?

To attend a new church we would need to build relationships which would require us to trust individuals. Remember it was through our former pastor Eddie Rojas, his son Patrick, and the elders, Jim Cameron and Dave Barrueto, that our family was devastated. It was also a very large number of the congregation (our friends) that supported the leadership, even to the point of defending their betrayal. I'm thinking maybe a pastor nor the leadership in a church would be who I would trust anytime soon.

My personal relationship with God really has nothing to do with a church.

I do have people that are believers that are loving me through this time in my life. I have no idea how long I will not be attending church but really that seems like such a minor detail in the scheme of my life.