Wenatchee, Washington – also know as “Happy Valley” – is nestled in the middle of Washington state, with beautiful mountain views and crisp, juicy apples. But Wenatchee’s quiet aura – and reputation – all began to change once the Doggett family moved in. Fox Nation explores why in the new special, ‘In the Valley of Sin.’
In December 1994, Mark and Carol Doggett had been accused of raping one of their children after moving to Wenatchee, and were each consequently sentenced with ten years in state prison. But it never actually happened; it was later discovered that the Doggett children had been bullied into accusing their parents of sexual assault by investigators.
The admission, though, created a domino effect of alleged crimes, which led to the reveal of an apparent child sex ring call ‘The Circle.’
‘The Circle’ only continued to worsen after Pastor Roby Roberson and his wife Connie were also arrested and charged with raping their four-year-old daughter. The pastor became known as the ringleader of the ‘The Circle,’ with police claiming they had substantial evidence against him and his church congregation.
Once more, the accusation was unfounded – and it left Wenatchee desperate for answers.
According to the special, “[Wenatchee] was divided. Half of the people were convinced that there was a sex fiend behind every sign post… The other half were convinced that those people thought that were crazy.”
So let’s be very clear on this: the reputation of idyllic “Happy Valley” Wenatchee was destroyed by its own overzealous, bullying investigators. As in: “the Doggett children had been bullied into accusing their parents of sexual assault by investigators.”
How ’bout that, Wenatchee, you folks happy now??