Rick Roeber, a Republican candidate for the 34th District Missouri House of Representatives, is dealing with allegations from decades ago that he physically abused three of his four children. The allegations were uncovered and reported on by The Kansas City Star on Tuesday, and they are distressing. Roeber is running to replace his wife, who died suddenly while still holding the seat in 2019.
According to the Star, two of Roeber’s now-adult children went on record with the paper. Anastasia Roeber alleges that Roeber sexually molested her when she was 9 years old in 1990. Her brother Samson says that while he was not molested by Roeber, Roeber had “always been physically abusive” when they were growing up. A third sibling told the paper that she was aware of the alleged abuse at the time, and a fourth unnamed sibling also claimed “sexual maltreatment” from Roeber. That last allegation was reportedly investigated by the state of Missouri in 2001.
Roeber denies the allegations and wrote a letter to The Kansas City Star saying: “Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is a very real mental illness in today’s world,” he said. “Our lawyer’s deposition revealed the lies of my children and their mother.” The Star reports that it held interviews with all of the children and with Roeber’s ex-wife, Michelle Keller.
According to the report, Roeber and Keller separated in 1990 and divorced in 1992. The children say the abuse took place during scheduled visitations, and the one case that was investigated by “the Jackson County office of the Division of Family Services in 2001, found probable cause that ‘sexual maltreatment’ of the child had occurred.” This finding was overturned two years later by Missouri’s Child Abuse and Neglect Review Board, but the Star could not get a clear picture of how that decision was made.
Roeber made a name for himself locally in the aughts as “Barefoot Rick,” an early adopter of the barefoot running movement, which he combined with a born-again story Christianity story. Roeber claims in his biography to have been an on again off again Christian whose “waywardness” included serious issues of addiction. He reportedly was able to have finally “recommitted his life to Christ” in March 1992 when he put the "plug in the jug.”
Roeber’s “waywardness” seems to have included a lot of abusive behavior, according to his kids. His son Samson told The Star: “He beat the s--t out of us all the time.” Gabrielle, the daughter who says she was aware of the abuse claims but was not abused herself, says she is estranged from her siblings because they partly blamed her for the abuse. Roeber “used me, I guess, as his little stooge. I would tell him little things that happened at my mother’s house, and he would use that to punish the boys. … My brothers hate me.” Gabrielle says that her father was “out of control” at that time in his life.
Roeber’s website says that he is “unapologetically conservative,” and says he is an ordained pastor at Abundant Life Church and the former chaplain at KC Rescue Mission.
Phonebanking is hard work, but it can be very effective if done well. Turnout2020 allows you to call Democratic-leaning swing state voters and help get them absentee ballots. Sign up to volunteer for the next Turnout Tuesday today. When you sign up, please remember to mark "Daily Kos" as the volunteer team that recruited you.
