Archer faces sex charges

Rex Archer, who fell just 37 votes short of becoming a Yuba County supervisor in 2006, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he sexually abused two girls starting in 2004.

Archer, 70, whose first name is Earnest, appeared before Yuba County Judge Julia Scrogin following his noon arrest at the Sheriff's Department.

Scrogin appointed a public defender for Archer, who was still wearing street clothes.

He listened quietly as the judge scheduled a Feb. 20 bail hearing and a Feb. 22 preliminary hearing.

The seven-count complaint, filed Wednesday by Deputy District Attorney Bradley Enos, includes two counts of continuous sexual abuse, three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, oral copulation with a child under 14, and penetration by a foreign object of a child under 16.

The abuse occurred between Jan. 1, 2004, and Nov. 30, 2007, according to the complaint.

Bail was set at $500,000. It was not immediately clear if Archer would furnish bail, said Enos.

Scrogin imposed a criminal protective order on Archer prohibiting him from calling the alleged victims or their families. He must stay at least 100 yards away from their homes.

Sacramento County Child Protective Services told Yuba County investigators in December about an 8-year-old girl's allegation that Archer had sexually abused her in 2005.

A 9-year-old girl told the Sheriff's Department in January that Archer had abused her in 2006 and 2007, said department spokeswoman Melanie Oakes.

The girls' identities and the circumstances surrounding the alleged abuse were not disclosed.

Archer, a vocal critic of local government's flood protection efforts, challenged Supervisor Dan Logue in the June 2006 election and lost, 676-639.

In 2007, Archer headed an unsuccessful effort to recall Logue, who did not return calls about Archer's arrest.

Archer, a past president of Reclamation District 784, also is a former Yuba County Sheriff's Department reserve deputy.

Former Yuba County Supervisor Brent Hastey, who briefly served with Archer on the RD 784 board, said, "My heart goes out to everybody involved," including Archer. "Everybody is hurt in this."

Archer announced in December 2005 he was running for Yuba County sheriff but withdrew when questions were raised about whether he met state Government Code qualifications for the job. He then decided to run against Logue.

A 2006 campaign biography listed Archer as vice president of Sutter Tire Service Inc., president of Archlam Inc. and owner of Archer's Tire Service in his home town of Linda.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com