Father Pleads Innocent in Sex Case : Charged With Forcing Son, 14, Into Illicit Encounters

A Santee man pleaded innocent Friday to felony charges of repeatedly arranging for his teen-age son to engage in sex with a 23-year-old woman and supplying drugs to his children.

Municipal Court Judge Herbert Exarhos set bail at $500,000 for Clifford Neal Wimberly, 36, who is accused of forcing his 14-year-old son to have sex with the woman 28 times between September, 1984, and last August.

Bail was set at $2,500 for his wife, Victoria Wimberly, 35, who was charged with two counts of furnishing marijuana to the boy and the couple’s 16-year-old daughter.

Exarhos issued an arrest warrant for Carol D. Swenson, the El Cajon woman accused of engaging in sex with the Wimberlys’ son. Swenson, whose whereabouts are unknown, is accused of 28 sex-related counts, including oral copulation, sexual intercourse and sodomy with a minor.

The investigation into the Wimberlys began last week, when the couple’s daughter turned over to authorities nude photos of her brother having sex with a woman. The girl complained that her parents were purchasing liquor and illegal drugs, were often away from home, and that the family was without food, electricity or gas, authorities said.

According to an arrest affidavit, Clifford Wimberly first arranged a sexual encounter for his son with Swenson when the boy was 11. The encounters continued once each month until August, according to the charges.

Victoria Wimberly, a La Mesa hairdresser, has told authorities that she had no knowledge of the woman’s alleged activities with her son. She broke down in tears as she was led back to jail after the arraignment Friday.

When the couple was arrested Tuesday, Clifford Wimberly was charged with suspicion of more than 300 counts of child molestation. Prosecutors gave no explanation Friday as to why the large number of counts were dropped.

A sheriff’s sergeant said Friday that the two children had been placed in a foster home.

“They’re in fairly good spirits,” said Sgt. Ron Cottingham of the sheriff’s child abuse unit. “The boy, himself, seemed to be relieved that it was out in the open and that the pressure was off.”

Cottingham said the daughter was not involved in any of the sexual activities and had no knowledge that her brother was being forced by her father to have sex with another woman.

“The girl apparently was responsible for the cleaning and cooking in the house,” he said.