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Rick Roeber (born December 20, 1955) was an American politician and long-distance runner. He resigned from the Missouri House of Representatives in April 2021 and was later removed, as a result of averments that he had exploited his now adult children in the early 1990s.

Political career

Roeber, a Republican, took office in January 2021 to fill the seat in the Missouri House of Representatives which had been held by his wife, Rebecca, who died in 2019. Roeber was removed from the House in April 2021 following an investigation into claims of child exploitation, allegations which he has denied.[2]

Child abuse allegations

In September 2020, Roeber's children and former spouse accused him of sexual and physical abuse.[3][4] Following the release of those claims, state legislators requested his withdrawal from the race.[5][6] He refused, and won the election by 301 votes over Democrat Chris Hager.[1]

After his victory, three of his children wrote to Speaker of the House Rob Vescovo and urged that he prevent Roeber from taking office.[7][8] Roeber was sworn in on January 9, 2021; however, he was barred from joining the House Republican Caucus.[9] This prevented him from serving on committees or receiving prime office space in the Capitol typically reserved for the majority party. The House Ethics Committee began an investigation into the allegations against Roeber.

In April 2021, Vescovo and Representative Travis Fitzwater, the chair of the Ethics Committee, contacted Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker expressing concern about Roeber's time with an underage child and the previous allegations made against him.[10][11] The letter to Peters stated that they were "concerned for the safety of this minor child" and requested she contact law enforcement to ensure the child's security.[10] "A spokesman for the Lee's Summit Police Department said it has no active investigation of Roeber."[12]

Roeber announced his resignation on April 13, 2021.[13] The House unanimously voted to reject his resignation until the Ethics Committee completed its investigation.[14] His resignation letter makes no mention of the abuse allegations; rather, he said he planned to move out-of-state and be closer to extended family.

The Ethics Committee released its report on Roeber's alleged conduct on April 19, 2021. The committee found the allegations credible and stated that Roeber allegedly sexually abused two of his children when they were nine and five years old, had physically and mentally abused his children, and attempted to continue sexually abusing them throughout their childhood.[7][15][16][17] The committee unanimously recommended Roeber be removed from the House.

He was also accused of cruelty to animals when witnesses alleged he had drowned several puppies.[18]

The House removed Roeber on April 21, 2021, by a vote of 153–0.[2] Roeber was the first legislator in Missouri to be removed since 1865.[19]

He has denied the allegations.[20][21] He was reported to the authorities in both 1993 and 2001 for alleged child sexual abuse, but no charges were filed.[18]

Even as House lawmakers were preparing to remove Roeber, Jackson County GOP Chairman David Lightner said he would not have supported intervening in Roeber’s candidacy if he knew about the allegations earlier.

Lightner stated that some were uncertain about the validity of the accusations. He added that many county Republicans believed the accusations were driven by “partisan politics"[1]

Barefoot running

Roeber has been interviewed about barefoot running by news media such as the Wall Street Journal,[22] Fox News,[23][24] and the Associated Press.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Rick Roeber". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 21, 2021). "House expels Rick Roeber following Ethics report". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "MO Republican House candidate Rick Roeber's adult children claim he abused them [Updated 12.14.20]". The Pitch. September 29, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "Missouri House candidate's adult children say he physically and sexually abused them". Kansas City Star.
  5. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (October 15, 2020). "After Roeber abuse allegations, HD 34 not on HRCC 'target list'". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  6. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (September 29, 2020). "Sheila Solon, GOP chair of Children & Families, calls on Roeber to drop out of race following abuse allegations". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Peiser, Jaclyn (April 20, 2021). "Missouri House member faces expulsion after investigation finds he sexually, physically abused his children". Washington Post.
  8. ^ "Children of Missouri Republican Lawmaker Try to Block Him From Taking Office, Claiming He Abused Them". Inside Edition. November 11, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  9. ^ "Roeber barred from House Republican Caucus". Missouri Times. December 14, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Prosecutor reviewing abuse claims against Missouri lawmaker". KSHB. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  11. ^ "Prosecutor reviewing abuse claims against Missouri lawmaker Rick Roeber". FOX 2. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Okeson-Haberman, Aviva (April 21, 2021). "Missouri Legislature Expels Rep. Rick Roeber Over Child Abuse Allegations". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  13. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 13, 2021). "Rick Roeber resigns from Missouri House". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Missouri House delays Rep. Rick Roeber's resignation to finish review". Associated Press. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  15. ^ Shallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 19, 2021). "Roeber sexually, mentally, physically abused his children, House Ethics Committee finds". Missouri Times.
  16. ^ Kuang, Jeanne (April 19, 2021). "Missouri committee recommends removal of Roeber for state rep over alleged abuse of his children". Kansas City Star.
  17. ^ Erickson, Kurt (April 19, 2021). "Scathing report on Missouri lawmaker sets stage for ouster". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  18. ^ a b Okeson-Haberman, Aviva (April 21, 2021). "Missouri Legislature Expels Rep. Rick Roeber Over Child Abuse Allegations". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  19. ^ Manley, Emily; Meier, Travis (April 21, 2021). "Missouri House votes to expel Rick Roeber after abuse claims". KTVI. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  20. ^ Williams, Kari (April 19, 2021). "Rep. Rick Roeber calls abuse claims a 'political hit' as ethics committee recommends removal". KSHB Kansas City.
  21. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 19, 2021). "Roeber sexually, mentally, physically abused his children, House Ethics Committee finds". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  22. ^ Triathlon Club of San Diego - Barefoot Running [https://web.archive.org/web/20070614004332/http://www.triclubsandiego.org/stories/5059551.html Archived June 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ "Barefoot Rick's Fox News Interview". GodTube.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  24. ^ "Barefoot Rick's Fox News Interview for the Free Wheelchair Mission". YouTube. March 27, 2009. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  25. ^ "Barefoot in the Park, but Mostly in the Streets". NYTimes.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Roeber