A Republican in the state’s House has been credibly accused of sexually assaulting and abusing children, and a committee for state legislature recommended he be expelled and barred from holding public office, the Kansas City Star reports.
Republican Rick Roeber, who ran for the seat representing Lee’s Summit after the death of his wife, Rep. Rebecca Roeber who previously held the seat. Rick Roeber attempted to resign the seat last week apparently as a way to avoid consequences, but the state house took the unusual action of refusing to accept the resignation.
Rick Roeber said he only ran for the office to push legislation to get a state highway named for his wife and to craft school choice legislation; he said he accomplished those goals with legislation moving forward and therefore can resign the seat.
The Missouri House Ethics Committee heard testimony from five witnesses that providing credible evidence that Roeber undertook “sexual contact” or “deviate sexual intercourse” with children. One witness testified that Roeber abused the child so badly that he scarred the child’s eyelid. The committee called the evidence “clear and compelling.”
Neither Matt Gaetz nor a representative for QAnon have not yet made public statements about Roeber and his child sexual exploitation.