Missouri Lawmaker Faces Expulsion Over Child Abuse Accusations
An ethics committee report said that State Representative Rick Roeber physically and sexually abused his children and once drowned puppies in a pond.
Lawmakers on the Missouri House Ethics Committee voted unanimously to recommend the expulsion of a colleague who they found to be credibly accused of child abuse.Credit.Whitney Curtis for The New York Times
April 21, 2021, 6:46 a.m. ET
A Missouri legislator faces expulsion from the state’s House of Representatives after an investigation by fellow lawmakers concluded that he had physically and sexually abused his children.
After hearing testimony from his family and reviewing hundreds of pages of documents, the Missouri House Ethics Committee wrote a report finding that the lawmaker, Rick Roeber, physically abused his children, sexually abused one at age 9 and another at age 5, and once “drowned a litter of puppies in a nearby pond.”
Rep. Rick Roeber, R-Lee s Summit / File Photo
The Missouri House of Representatives rejected Rep. Rick Roeber s resignation last week so that the ethics committee could complete its report on the Lee s Summit Republican. The House voted to expel Roeber Wednesday.
In a nearly unanimous vote Wednesday, the Missouri House expelled Lee s Summit Rep. Rick Roeber.
Months after child abuse allegations first surfaced against state Rep. Rick Roeber then a candidate for the Lee’s Summit district the Missouri House of Representatives voted Wednesday to expel the Republican.
While no lawmakers voted against expulsion, Rep. Bruce DeGroot, R-Ellisville, voted “present.”
In a somber discussion on the House floor, lawmakers said they found the allegations credible and criticized prosecutors for not bringing charges against Roeber when the abuse was reported decades ago.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. â A Missouri House committee has recommended Leeâs Summit Rep. Rick Roeber be expelled from office after finding that he sexually and physically abused his now-adult children when they were young.
In the House Ethics Committeeâs report released late Monday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers deemed the freshman Republicanâs accusers â including his ex-wife and three of his four children â credible. They testified he had committed acts that under Missouri law would constitute âsexual contactâ or âdeviate sexual intercourse,â according to the report.
The committee also found accusations of physical abuse by Roeber, including beatings and an incident that left one child with a scarred eyelid. The evidence in the case, which included testimony from five witnesses, was âclear and convincing,â the committee said.
Missouri lawmaker should be expelled over allegations he abused his children, committee says pennlive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pennlive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A controversial Missouri lawmaker tried to resign from the House this past week, but his colleagues aren t quite ready to let him go.
In speeches Thursday, legislators from both parties said Rep. Rick Roeber, R-Lee’s Summit, should stick around until they finish their investigation into accusations he sexually and physically abused his children when they were young.
“This is a serious allegation,” said Richard Brown, the top Democrat on the chamber’s ethics committee. “It’s not right to accept this resignation and allow this member to escape without us giving full recognition to what has taken place here.”