OREGON
The Oregonian
By Rick Bella | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on April 14, 201
A Happy Valley pastor sank into drug abuse and heavy drinking, leading to sexual abuse of young girls who lived with him in a communal church, if you believe Multnomah County prosecutors.
But if you believe defense attorneys, Pastor Mike Sperou of the North Clackamas Bible Community has been unfairly accused because the girls — now grown women — have had their memories contaminated by shoddy police interviews and conversations with others who dislike Sperou.
The conflicting pictures emerged Tuesday, the opening day of Sperou’s trial before Circuit Judge Cheryl A. Albrecht on three counts of first-degree sexual penetration. A grand jury indictment charges Sperou, 64, of placing his fingers inside the vagina of Shannon Clark while she lived at one of the church’s homes in the 1990s.
The Oregonian/OregonLive generally does not disclose the names of alleged sexual abuse victims. But Clark and other women connected with the case have come forward, asking that their stories be told.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.