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Rick Roeber
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
from the 34th district
In office
January 9, 2021 – April 21, 2021
Preceded byRebecca Roeber
Succeeded byKemp Strickler
Personal details
Born (1955-12-20) December 20, 1955 (age 68)
Lincoln, Nebraska[1]
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • Michelle Keller
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1984; div. 1992)​
  • Rebecca Roeber
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1997; died 2019)​
Children3
EducationUniversity of Missouri–Kansas City[1]

Rick Roeber (born December 20, 1955) Is a former American politician and long-distance runner. He was expelled from the Missouri House of Representatives in April 2021, as a result of an investigation that he had allegedly physically, mentally, and sexually abused his own children.

Political career

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Roeber took office as a Republican 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 unanimously expelled from the House in April 2021 following an investigation into claims of child sexual and physical abuse, which he has denied.[2]

Child abuse allegations

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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]

Roeber announced his resignation on April 13, 2021.[12] The House unanimously voted to reject his resignation until the Ethics Committee completed its investigation.[13] His resignation letter makes no mention of the abuse allegations, but that he planned to move out-of-state and be closer to extended family.

The Ethics Committee released its report on Roeber's conduct on April 19, 2021. The committee found the allegations credible and stated that Roeber had 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][14][15][16] The committee unanimously recommended Roeber be expelled from the House.

He was also accused of cruelty to animals when witnesses alleged he had drowned several puppies.[17]

The House expelled him on April 21, 2021, by a vote of 153–0.[2] He was the first legislator in Missouri to be expelled since 1865.[18]

He has denied the allegations.[19][20] He was reported to the authorities in both 1993 and 2001 for alleged child sexual abuse, but no charges were ever filed.[17]

Barefoot running

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Roeber has been interviewed about barefoot running by news media such as the Wall Street Journal,[21] Fox News,[22][23] and the Associated Press.[24]

References

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  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. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 13, 2021). "Rick Roeber resigns from Missouri House". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. ^ "Missouri House delays Rep. Rick Roeber's resignation to finish review". Associated Press. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  14. ^ Shallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 19, 2021). "Roeber sexually, mentally, physically abused his children, House Ethics Committee finds". Missouri Times.
  15. ^ Kuang, Jeanne (April 19, 2021). "Missouri committee recommends expulsion for state rep over alleged abuse of his children". Kansas City Star.
  16. ^ Erickson, Kurt (April 19, 2021). "Scathing report on Missouri lawmaker sets stage for ouster". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Manley, Emily; Meier, Travis (April 21, 2021). "Missouri House votes to expel Rick Roeber after abuse claims". KTVI. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  19. ^ Williams, Kari (April 19, 2021). "Rep. Rick Roeber calls abuse claims a 'political hit' as ethics committee recommends expulsion". KSHB Kansas City.
  20. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 19, 2021). "Roeber sexually, mentally, physically abused his children, House Ethics Committee finds". The Missouri Times. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  21. ^ 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
  22. ^ "Barefoot Rick's Fox News Interview". GodTube.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "Barefoot in the Park, but Mostly in the Streets". NYTimes.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
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