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