Yellow Pages
SEDRO-WOOLLEY — A former volunteer firefighter is accused of abusing his girlfriend’s children by using a “wheel of torture” to pick their punishments, Skagit County Superior Court documents say.
Jerry Derham, 42, of Sedro-Woolley, was arrested last week after siblings of the alleged victims told an adult that Derham was shooting a 4-year-old boy and 12-year-old developmentally disabled boy with a BB gun.
He is also accused of making them do pushups over a lit candle, forcing them to hold a jug of water on their heads and cut the grass with scissors, according to court documents.
Derham is charged with two counts of second-degree assault of a child. The charges also say the assault was intentional, caused lasting pain and formed a pattern of abuse.
His attorney, Laura Riquelme, said Thursday the charges were “a little severe,” and that none of the victims said candles were used during discipline. Her client entered not guilty pleas.
Last week, investigators found a cardboard wheel marked with numbers in Derham’s Talcott Street home. They were welcomed in by Derham’s girlfriend. During the visit, a witness told investigators that when the 4-year-old was in trouble, he would spin the wheel to find his punishment, court documents state. Investigators also found a corresponding list titled “The Wheel of Punishment” with tasks such as cleaning large items with a toothbrush and cutting the grass with a scissors.
One witness told investigators the red dots on the 4-year-old’s chest were from Derham shooting him with small red BB-like pellets, court documents say.
Photos taken during the search of the children’s bedroom floor show dozens of hard plastic BB’s scattered across their rooms, court documents state.
Officers also found a journal in the living room, the documents state, with entries about making discipline more “severe and embarrassing.” When Derham arrived on the scene, he was arrested.
The mother of the boys has not been charged in the case, which is still under investigation. The children are in protective custody.
Derham’s bail is set at $10,000. If he bails out of jail, he is ordered not to have contact with any minors, except in a professional setting.
Sedro-Woolley Fire Department Chief Dean Klinger said Derham volunteered with the department on and off since 1996. On Aug. 4, the same day he was arrested, Derham sent his letter of resignation.
• Tahlia Ganser can be reached at 360-416-2148 or at .
