Man Faces 71 Child Molestation Counts : A Mother’s Concern Lands Neighbor in Court

It was the concern of Anaheim housewife Debra Cherrie, a 32-year-old mother of two, that led police to investigate Steven Paris.

Monday, the Paris, 34, described as a “clean-cut, helpful” neighbor, pleaded not guilty in North Orange County Municipal Court to charges of molestation, sodomy and oral copulation in incidents involving seven boys.

“Everybody kept telling me it’s such a controversial and touchy subject that you shouldn’t be talking about it,” Cherrie said in a telephone interview Monday. “But we need to talk about it so it doesn’t happen to young innocent children.”

In all, Paris is facing 71 counts of molesting young neighbor boys, including Cherrie’s son. At his arraignment Monday, a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 26. In the meantime, Paris remains in Orange County Jail on $100,000 bail.

At first, there were suspicions, Cherrie said. Like when her son finally talked about incidents of molestation in a quiet heart-to-heart session.

“I listened,” she said.

After mother and son were taken to police headquarters and interviewed last week, more details were learned, and other boys’ names were added to a list of suspected victims in one of the city’s more unusual investigations, Detective Georgia Walton said.

“To have so many victims is unusual. Usually it’s only one suspect, one victim,” Walton said.

Because the seven alleged incidents occurred over a relatively short time span, the boys’ recollections are “very definite,” Walton added.

“They can give time spans. We’re not talking about things that occurred about five or six years ago. These (alleged crimes) are all very current.”

The boys range in age from 5 to 11 and all live in the same neighborhood as Paris, a participant in a Neighborhood Watch Program on West Apollo Avenue in south-central Anaheim.

Paris, who is married and has children, including stepchildren, was arrested Aug. 11 at his residence. He has denied the allegations.

Police allege that Paris, an airport shuttle bus driver, contacted the victims while they played with his children at his residence.

Kim and Debra Cherrie moved into the neighborhood only four months ago, but the alleged molestations began as early as 1982, police said.

Cherrie, who admitted that she is plagued with doubt about coming forward publicly, also said she wanted to take a stand on the sensitive issue.

“My main concern is that people should be able to talk to their children and find out information about this,” she said.

She hopes that she will be able to organize other parents and help create awareness at the grass-roots level, she said.

“I think parents, kids and everybody should know that it goes on,” she said. “I think they shouldn’t be afraid to convict anyone who seems like a nice guy.”

What about her own child and the fact that he may suffer from being identified as an alleged victim?

“I thought about that a long time, and I was concerned with it,” she said. “But I thought it would be a bigger impression if we stepped forward. I’ll protect my boy and my children. Let me worry about that. I think that other parents and children shouldn’t just trust every nice guy in the neighborhood.”