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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 2018)
REGION Tuesday, January 16, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3A TRCI guard, wife charged with luring teen for sex By KRISTIN M. KRAEMER Tri-City Herald A husband and wife are charged with trying to lure a young Kennewick teen into a sexual relationship by giving the girl love letters, a promise ring and a cellphone. Kimberlee A. Farber allegedly used her job at Chinook Middle School to contact the girl, later telling police she only participated so she would not lose her husband, Roy David Farber. Kim Farber, who was a part-time paraeducator since October, has been fired, according to a Kennewick School District spokes- woman. Dave Farber, a correc- tional officer at Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla, had told the girl “he cannot get in any trouble for anything they are doing” because of his job, court documents said. The status of his employ- ment was not available Friday afternoon. During a brief hearing in Benton County Superior Court, Dave Farber, 31, pleaded innocent to sexual exploitation of a minor, Photo by Bob Brawdy/Tri-City Herald Suspect Roy David Farber, left, confers with attorney Michael Vander Sys before the start of his hearing Fri- day afternoon in Benton County Superior Court in Ken- newick. He’s charged with felony communication with a minor for immoral purposes. communication with a minor for immoral purposes and three counts of second-de- gree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexu- ally explicit conduct. His trial is set Feb. 26. Kim Farber, 27, is charged with communication with a minor for immoral purposes. She remains out of custody and has been sent a summons to appear in court Jan. 25. The Farbers live in Kennewick. The alleged relationship between Dave Farber and the girl came to light Jan. 2 when he gave a letter to the teen’s parents professing his love for her. The parents then searched and found a cellphone in her room that contained numerous sexually explicit messages between the teen and Farber. The messages included several exchanges of naked pictures, documents said. The parents didn’t know where that ZTE flip phone came from. They had previ- ously taken away a phone they had bought for her. Her parents told Kenne- wick police they began to have concerns about Farber last May based on what they saw when he was around the girl. Farber’s letter to them said he loved her “more than he would like to admit,” and if he wasn’t married to his wife and if the teen was older, he would have considered marrying her, documents said. Her parents reported finding more letters from Farber to their daughter. The teen told detectives she and Farber realized they had feelings for each other last summer. She went to his apartment a number of times and he kissed her and asked for the nude photos. She said Farber gave her a promise ring and that his wife helped pick it out. After her parents confis- cated her phone, Farber had his wife give the girl a flip phone at school. A letter dated Jan. 5 was included with the new phone. Farber wrote that he had written her parents and, if questioned about the alleged relationship, to say “things got kind of messed up, but people make mistakes and you know that we would like to be just friends. … We make each other happy,” court documents said. Farber added that she would not be lying to her parents or a therapist because they are best friends. “My love, the only thing that can stop our love is you and I ... or perhaps death. Not your parents, not your therapist, not anyone!” he allegedly wrote. The letter also included the PIN number for the phone and instructions that, if caught with it, to say she grabbed it by accident on the bus. “Say that you need to take it to lost and found. Give it to (his wife) at that point,” he wrote. Farber reportedly closed the letter calling the teen, “Baby,” and saying he loves her “to the ends of the galaxy and back” and to “take comfort in my love.” Prosecutors allege that his wife put her initials in a heart on the letter and included her cellphone number that the girl could text. Kim Farber told police her husband told her a couple of years ago that he is attracted to young girls. She admitted to facilitating communica- tions between her husband and the teen while at school, knowing he loved the girl and helping select the promise ring, documents said. Kim Farber first worked as an occasional substitute paraeducator with the Kennewick School District in September 2016. A paraeducator assists with special needs and other students. She was hired part-time in October 2017 at the middle school, said district spokes- woman Robyn Chastain, who referred all other ques- tions to Kennewick police. Dave Farber was arrested Monday night. Investigators seized his phone, computers and other media storage devices. His bail is set at $50,000. If he gets out of the Benton County jail, he must avoid contact with all minors and any witnesses in the case, including his wife. He also must stay off the internet, avoid using a cellphone and hand over all guns to the Kennewick Police Department. HERMISTON Chess tournament checks out success East Oregonian Staff photo by Kathy Aney Josh Burns holds his trophy high after winning Dancing with the Hermiston Stars on Saturday night at Hermiston High School. Burns swings his way to top of Hermiston Stars dance competition East Oregonian Josh Burns and his partner, Chloe Elstone, won the Dancing with the Hermiston Stars competition Saturday at Hermiston High School. Five Hermiston compet- itors — Burns, Erik Juarez, Erica Sandoval, Cameron Bendixsen and Tricia Mooney — paired up with professionals from the Utah Ballroom Dance Company and raised money for the Desert Arts Council. Ashley Seibel was slated to perform but had to cancel due to illness. Burns, the general manager at the Walmart Distribution Center, won from a combination of the judge’s scores, audience votes and money raised — $2,010 by himself. Overall, $6,177 was raised through ticket sales and extra donations to help support Desert Arts Coun- cil’s mission of growing the arts in Hermiston. BRIEFLY Sheriff’s deputy captures suspect at border after chase Saturday story time highlights women’s march MILTON-FREEWATER — The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office made an arrest near the border Sunday. According to an office press release, Umatilla County authorities were notified by the Walla Walla Police Department around 3:43 p.m. that a suspect was going to cross the Oregon-Washington state line into the Milton-Freewater area. Umatilla County sheriff’s deputy Jonathan Roberts joined the pursuit led by Walla Walla police and the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office as the suspect traveled into Milton-Freewater from Walla Walla River Road. The suspect, Tyler Jonathan Hays of College Place, eventually pulled over at the intersection of Stateline Road and Umapine Road. Roberts arrested Hayes for felony attempt to elude, reckless driving and no bail warrants for both Washington County Department of Corrections and the Oregon State Parole Board. Authorities impounded Hays’ 1995 Honda Civic and transported the female passenger in Hays’ car back home. Hays is in custody at the Umatilla County Jail in Pendleton. PENDLETON — An upcoming special children’s story time ties in with the Women’s March on Pendleton. The Women’s March Story Time includes the reading of a pair of books followed by a craft time. Participants will be assisted in making positive signs for the afternoon’s march. Geared for ages 8 and older, the free event is Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Pendleton Public Library, 502 S.W. Dorion Ave. The march starts at 1 p.m. in front of Pendleton City Hall. The featured books include “The Pink Hat,” a recent release by Andrew Joyner that offers insight about the women’s march. Also, the newly published “Let the Children March” by Monica Clark-Robinson provides historical information about civil rights and racial discrimination in 1963. Both books serve as conversation starters. For more about the library story time, call 541-966-0380 and for more about the women’s march, contact Robin Lambert at 503-740-8262 or rllkrn2@gmail.com. Hermiston police arrest suspected Walmart thief HERMISTON — Hermiston Police arrested a man over the weekend suspected of attempting to steal several hundred dollars worth of merchandise from Walmart. Jentry Wedge, 25, of Umatilla, was arrested on probable cause charges related to a theft reported from the Hermiston Walmart. According to police, Wedge filled a cart with more than $750 worth of merchandise, and left the store without paying for the items. He was arrested and lodged in the Umatilla County Jail. Hermiston Band Boosters serve dinner, dancing HERMISTON — A fundraiser benefiting the Hermiston High School band program features dinner and dancing. The Hermiston Band Boosters is hosting the event Saturday from 6-10 p.m. at Hermiston High School, 600 S. First St. Tickets are $25 each or a table of six for $135. In addition to a tri-tip dinner, the event features a silent auction and music by the HHS jazz band and Brass Fire, a regional horn band. Tickets are available at the high school or the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce, located at Cornerstone Plaza, 1055 S. Highway 395, Suite 111. For more information, contact Carrie Ferguson at 541-571-6532 or Sean McClanahan at sean.mcclanahan@hermiston. k12.or.us or 541-667-6100. All area students are invited to participate in a local chess tournament. The Region 23/24 Chess for Success Tournament is Saturday, Feb. 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the library at Hermiston High School, 600 S. First St. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade from Umatilla, Morrow and other Eastern Oregon counties are invited to participate. While Hermiston and Heppner have affiliated student chess programs, others can compete as indi- viduals or as a team if there are five players from the same school. All students, even those who are home- schooled, are eligible to qualify and participate in the state tournament. The fee is $21 if regis- tered by Saturday, Jan. 27. Registration then increases to $29. Participants need to sign up by Saturday, Feb. 3. Students can register at www.chessforsuccess.org/ play/registration. For ques- tions, contact Delia Fields at 541-667-6144 or delia. fields@hermistonsd.org. Participants need to bring a sack lunch. In addition, due to some down time during the competi- tion, kids are encouraged to bring snacks, books, portable music players or other items to utilize File photo Oscar Galdamez, left, and Josh Hinkley compete in a past chess practice match at Hermiston High School. All area students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to register for a Chess for Success tour- nament, which is Feb. 10 at Hermiston High School. between matches. According to the organization’s website, Chess for Success initially started as the Portland Chess Project in 1992. A pilot program funded by the Meyer Memorial Trust, it was established in nine of the lowest performing schools in the Portland Public District. After the end of the four-year pilot project, it was established as a nonprofit organization. As the program expanded, Chess for Success took over responsibility for presenting the Oregon State Chess Tournament in 1998. In 2003, United States Congress commissioned a study of Chess for Success to compare program participants to students from the same school who were not involved in the program. The study showed that Chess for Success had accomplished its primary goal of focusing on analytical skills in problem-solving situations, which resulted in increased academic achievement. During the 2014-15 academic year, Chess for Success included 3,290 students in 78 schools. The program relies on support from individuals, businesses, foundations and government entities. For more information, visit www.chessforsuccess.org. ——— Contact Community Editor Tammy Malgesini at tmalgesini@eastoregonian. com or 541-564-4539