Tri-Cities judge says he would let man ‘die in jail’ for child sex crimes if he could

The crimes of a former Hanford patrolman divided a packed Tri-Cities courtroom, but a Benton County judge doubted the man would have had any supporters if they knew the full extent of the allegations.

He was one of three men sentenced in Benton County Superior Court in recent weeks in connection with crimes against children.

Several people were in attendance to support Gregory J. Bocek, 73, of Kennewick, while the victims and their family watched by video, saying they’ve suffered for the past six years while hoping to get justice.

Bocek entered an Alford plea to two counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. An Alford plea means that he doesn’t admit to committing the crime, but felt he could be convicted if it went to trial.

The man, who has said he is suffering from a terminal disease, continued to deny committing any crime. Instead blaming the accusations on the children’s mother.

Judge David Petersen sentenced Bocek to the maximum penalty available to him — a year in jail. He said he has sentenced murderers with more regret then Bocek had.

“I would love to play the forensic interviews of these children, so you would see the rest of the story,” he said as he sentenced Bocek to the maximum end of the range. “I appreciate that everyone’s view of Mr. Bocek is of a wonderful polite community serving man. .... They haven’t watched those videos.”

Bocek Sentencing

Bocek was initially charged in 2019 after a Kennewick mother reported she’d been sitting on the couch with her two sons when one of them made a request to be inappropriately touched, court documents said.

The mother said she was surprised and asked what the boy meant. That’s when both boys revealed they had been molested and gave examples of what happened to them, documents said.

The case had been stalled in the courts due to closures because of COVID and then a trial was canceled after an attorney had an emergency.

Bocek entered a plea in early February and was taken into custody. Because of his lack of a criminal history, he faced between nine months and a year in jail.

Deputy Prosecutor Anita Petra said they made the agreement because of the toll testifying would take on the children.

But she called Bocek a wolf in sheep’s clothing who portrayed himself as someone who was safe.

“When you wear that mask you get access to children,” Petra said. “It happens very innocently. It can be fun. It can be quiet. He would sing and play with them and then touch them at the same time. It would happen under a blanket. It would happen in front of other people.”

While the plea agreement wasn’t what everyone wanted, it meant the children didn’t need to testify again. The children’s mother said they had already suffered. They had moved out of the Tri-Cities because of pressure from the people who supported Bocek.

Bocek’s attorney, Shelley Ajax, explained her client’s life expectancy is already very short, and the anxiety and stress of the case led him to plead. In addition, his wife has cancer and is working through chemotherapy and radiation.

She said he’s had an “amazing life of service to the community and to the United States.”

Family members supporting Bocek said he didn’t commit the crimes, and that he’s been “kind, funny and caring.”

“I’ve never witnessed anything that would lead me to believe that he is dangerous,” his daughter said.

Petersen decided to sentence Bocek to the maximum end of the range. He said Bocek’s actions destroyed lives and would continue to destroy lives.

“I would let you die in jail if I could,” he said. “You have destroyed the lives of these children.”

Forney Sentencing

James C. Forney, 49, of Benton City, was sentenced to eight years in prison after he was convicted of choking his grandson and then attacking the child’s mother.

Forney was sentenced about a week after Bocek, and about two months after a jury found him guilty of second-degree assault of a child, fourth-degree assault and third-degree malicious mischief following a week long trial.

He faced between about 6 1/2 and 8 1/2 years in prison.

Forney was extremely drunk on July 10, 2024, while he was with his two grandsons, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, in the living room of a mobile home, according to court documents.

It’s unknown what prompted the attack, but the older boy told investigators that Forney strangled and punched him. The attack made the child vomit.

The boy ran screaming to a back bedroom where his mother was and told her about the attack.

When she went into the living room to confront Forney, he denied it and became angry and aggressive. As she tried to escape, Forney pushed her down and punched her in the face.

She managed to get around Forney and out the front door. She went running down the street looking for help. She ended up at a neighboring lot where she called 911.

Deputy Prosecutor Brittnie Roehm said Forney has a history of similar crimes against family members including strangling his 16-year-old daughter, a crime that was also fueled by his alcohol abuse. Roehm asked for the maximum possible sentence.

“There is no excuse in the world for his conduct,” she said. “The top of the range sentence is the only justice in this case.”

Forney continued to deny attacking either the child or the woman, during his sentencing. He claimed his attorney failed to bring witnesses that could have cleared him.

His attorney, Nicholas Blount, said Forney was appealing the verdict, and noted that he’s avoided trouble with the law for more than eight years. He argued for the low end of the sentencing range, saying the problem is Forney’s issues with alcohol. He said treatment would be a better solution than prison.

Judge Jackie Stam sentenced Forney to eight years, saying she was concerned that there had been a similar case before.

Ramirez Sentencing

Robert G. Ramirez, 22, of Richland, was sentenced to two years and two months in prison in connection with luring two teen girls to a Richland apartment, giving them alcohol and then raping one of them.

He pleaded guilty to third-degree child rape and providing a place for minors to drink.

Ramirez arranged to meet the teens in June 2024 after talking to one of them on social media. He was joined by a co-defendant, Marco Antonio Elias Tejada, 24, of Pasco, when he picked up the teens at Kennewick high school, court documents said.

The men allegedly bought alcohol and took the girls to a Richland park to drink before they went to Ramirez’s apartment, where the teens were also given drugs.

Elias Tejada allegedly demanded sex and held one girl down, said court documents.

The other teen was allegedly sexually assaulted while unconscious.

As the group was leaving the Mowry Square apartments, one girl “caused a disturbance” and some concerned passersby called 911 and gave a description of the car.

About the same time, the girls were reported as possible runaways from where they lived.

A Benton County sheriff’s deputy eventually spotted the suspect car and officers arrested Elias Tejada and used a drone to find Ramirez hiding and arrested him, said court documents.

Petra, who also prosecuted this case, explained that Ramirez picked a vulnerable victim, a teen living in the foster system who has her own battles. She was not available to testify at the trial.

Ramirez’s attorney, Karla Kane said he was remorseful about his actions. She believed treatment would help her client.

“I just want to share that I’m really, really, really ashamed of myself,” Ramirez said. “This is a big wake-up call for me. ... I want to go back to living a simple life.”

Stam said she needed to hear him be remorseful for his actions, and supported the recommendation. She also ordered that he get treatment as a sex offender and for his drug use.

Tejada has not yet been sentenced on charges of second degree rape, third degree rape and supplying liquor to a minor.

This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 10:53 AM.