Robyn Rogers
LAKE HAVASU CITY – The former Lake Havasu City school teacher who had a sexual relationship with a runaway teenager offered broad apology during her Sept. 20 sentencing hearing in Kingman. Robyn Rogers, 44, trembled and cried as she addressed Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen.
“I’m incredibly sorry for what I’ve done,” Rogers sobbed. “I made a terrible mistake with consequences that I will face for the rest of my life.”
Rogers listed her husband in a current divorce proceeding, her friends and family, former co-workers and students and the city, acknowledging the harmful impact she caused by her romance with the 17-year-old boy. The passionate educator expressed regret of her loss of town trust and favored employment.
“I’ll never again have the career I’ve loved for more than 20 years,” Rogers said. “I’m no longer welcome in my community.”
Rogers previously pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a minor.
The victim’s father told the Court that Rogers deserved more punishment. He questioned if a male schoolteacher who had sex with a female teenager would get the same deal.
The hearing revealed that the victim was 15 when he first met Rogers at school. She learned of difficulty at home and actually gained Court granted custody of the boy for a month or more before the family was able to reverse the decision to regain custody.
The father said substance abuse, mental health issues, runaway incidents and group home living followed before the boy reached back to Rogers, resulting in romance.
Prosecutor Carlos Lopez said Rogers took advantage of the victim’s need to be loved.
Defense attorney Bob Heieck argued that Rogers was not a predator who groomed her victim. Instead, he said it was Roger’s nature to help everyone, and that she simply went too far in the instance of the teen.
Judge Jantzen said the Rogers case “shocks the conscience” insomuch as she abused trust vested through her former teaching capacity and the “pseudo-parent” role she played when she briefly had custody of the victim.
“This is a case where a young man has been violated,” Jantzen said.
Any possibility of prison time was eliminated under terms of the plea agreement accepted by Jantzen. He imposed a 7-month jail sentence, followed by lifetime probation, including sex offender registration protocols.
Dave Hawkins
