Perpetrator Alert: Survivors of Abuser and Former Washougal School District Bus Driver and Clark County Foster Parent Bob Gouin
PCVA is seeking information about convicted child sexual abuser, Bob Gouin. Gouin was a former licensed foster parent in the Clark County area and a bus driver for the Washougal School District.
Bob Gouin was a licensed foster parent to sixty foster children between 1983 – 1988 where he used his authority and power in a parent/child relationship to sexually abuse children for years. Bob Gouin leveraged his position of trust as a school bus driver at the Washougal School District to groom children and eventually have them placed in his foster home where he sexually abused them. In 1988 he was arrested and charged with 14 counts of child sexual assault against several different children who were in his care. Recently, additional survivors have come forward after coping for years with the trauma that Bob Gouin instilled in them as children.
PCVA is currently investigating the allegations against Bob Gouin. If you or someone you know has any information that could help in these efforts, please contact us.
This article provides frequently asked questions about Gouin, child sexual abuse, and how PCVA’s experienced sexual abuse lawyers can help.
What are the allegations against Bob Gouin?
It is known that Bob Gouin is a child rapist and molester. Our clients, 5 survivors, have come forward to address the sexual abuse Gouin perpetrated on them as children in the 1980s. Some survivors of child sexual abuse wait several years to face their trauma and it may take even longer for them to gather the ability to seek justice.
Did Bob Gouin sexually abuse other victims?
Bob Gouin is a serial child sexual abuser and was charged with 13 counts of rape and molestation in 1988 during his time as a foster parent in the 1980s. Based on criminal records it is believed Bob Gouin had a criminal record in other states before starting his position as a Washougal bus driver and a Washington foster home provider. PCVA is working with five survivors who have come forward in 2024 to file claims against him. Based on criminal records, we believe Gouin abused at least one additional foster child, if not more.
A 1988 news article reported about Gouin’s 13 counts of child rape and molestation included that police thought there were potentially other victims that Bob Gouin abused. We are currently at a total of 5 individuals who want to seek justice against Bob Gouin.
If you or someone you know claims to be a victim of Bob Gouin’s, please schedule a no-obligation consultation with one of our lawyers here.
How did Bob Gouin abuse his victims without raising suspicion?
Unfortunately, Bob Gouin abused his victims through coercion, manipulation, and his influential power as a school bus driver and foster parent. These children were often put into the system due to being neglected or abused by their birth parents and looked at Bob and his wife as people to trust. Many survivors thought they could trust Gouin, up until the sexual abuse began.
Gouin would isolate a child and abuse them in a private setting. There were a few times when he would abuse a foster child while other foster children slept nearby. Gouin would often take children camping and abuse them or take a child on a ride and stop in various private locations to abuse them such as an empty parking lot or on the side of the road. Gouin would use alcohol and drugs to intoxicate his victims before abusing them. Gouin rarely abused children in their bedrooms but would sometimes abuse them in his and his wife’s bedroom.
When suspicion arose and police started questioning the children whether Gouin was abusing them, Gouin strictly told his foster children to lie because if the children did not lie Gouin would lose his license to be a foster parent. These children were incredibly impressionable and even while experiencing sexual abuse, these children did not want to see Gouin lose his foster parent license.
Did anyone suspect Bob Gouin to be a danger to children?
Prior to and during the perpetrator’s sexual abuse of our client, DSHS and Clark County received reports of Gouin’s sexual misconduct and abuse. However, DSHS and Clark County failed to initially investigate complaints of abuse or neglect at the Gouin foster home and to ensure the foster home was safe for children considering the reported acts of abuse and neglect. As a result, the perpetrator sexually abused our clients and other children at the foster home, and the claimant and other children were sexually abused by him until about 1988 when additional reports of sexual abuse were made.
It is unclear if Gouin’s wife or an elderly woman who would often answer phone calls while Gouin was sexually assaulting children upstairs knew that Bob was abusing children. Gouin’s wife, Karen Gouin-Daskin, divorced him while he was in jail.
Our Case Results
PCVA has a lengthy history of pursuing damages for individuals who were put into the foster care system and experienced child sexual abuse at the hands of approved foster parents. This includes cases involving Child Protective Services (CPS) failure to thoroughly investigate claims of abuse or neglect, a lack of oversight, or allowing unqualified applicants to become foster parents. See below for links to some of our case results involving improper foster care treatment in the states of Washington, New York, California and elsewhere. You can see some of our case results here:
$25M Jury Verdict in Sexual Abuse Case Against the State of New Jersey
$16.95M Settlement in Landmark Child Abuse Case Against Washington State
$9.5M Settlement in Sexual Abuse Cases Against University Place School District
$9.35M Settlement for Foster Care Child Sexual Abuse Case Against Washington State
$7.5M Jury Verdict in Sexual Abuse Case Against YMCA
$6.75M Settlement in Sexual Abuse Case Against the State of New Jersey
$3.9M Settlement for a Child Sexual Abuse Case Against the Tahoma School District
See a more detailed list on our Case Results page.