UPDATE: Attorneys say Tinker Airman Tobias Rivers was acquitted on all counts on Sept. 13, 2016.
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. — A longtime airman will face a court martial, charged with six counts of sex crimes involving children.
TSgt. Tobias Rivers, whose LinkedIn page shows he has served as a senior surveillance technician for the last 18 years, faces the following charges:
- Aggravated sexual assault on a child under 12 years of age
- Indecent liberties with a child
- Sexual assault of a child
- Sexual abuse of a child, lewd act with contact
- Indecent exposure
- Possession of child pornography
“Investigators showed up at our door and said there were allegations,” said Rivers’ wife, recalling the first time she heard about the accusations last February. “I didn’t want to believe them at the time but after about a week I started seeing evidence that led me to believe I was married to a monster.”
Rivers’ wife wanted to keep her identity hidden, as she moves forward with a divorce. But she told NewsChannel 4 she found child porn websites in her husband’s internet search history and believes what the victims have told her.
“I’ve seen the evidence and I can’t believe I was blindsided this whole time,” she said. “It’s been very rough. I never thought I could go through something like this. The victims never thought they could go through something like this. It’s a day-to-day thing.”
Rivers declined to comment when NewsChannel 4 found him at his home Friday, citing advice from his attorney.
Tinker’s public affairs office had no immediate comment either.
Rivers’ wife is speaking up because she wanted to offer support to victims of domestic sex crimes. She’s also disappointed that her husband is walking essentially free, despite the charges against him.
A spokesman for the air base said he did not know why Rivers was not in custody, adding such a scenario would be uncommon.
His trial is scheduled for Sept. 8.
