Comment
Rate
Former teacher acquitted
|
||
| Advertisement |
By Jeff Haldiman
jhaldiman@newstribune.com
A Cole County jury on Friday acquitted a former Jefferson City High School math teacher and softball coach who last year was charged with statutory rape and sodomy after a female student claimed she'd had sex with him.
Family and friends of Brent Roark, 30, cheered and burst into tears when the verdict was read - despite Cole County Judge Richard Callahan's earlier warning to keep themselves composed - about four-and-a-half hours after the jury began its deliberations following the two-day trial.
Roark himself began to sob after the verdict was read as family members who packed the courtroom to support him looked on. He was acquitted on two counts of second-degree statutory rape and one count of second-degree statutory sodomy.
Roark's attorney, Shane Farrow, said in a written statement, “Our client has maintained his innocence from the beginning. It is unfortunate that these allegations have led to the end of Brent's teaching career.
“Hopefully, his vindication will allow Brent to move forward with his life both personally and professionally.”
The verdict announcement ended an emotional day in court that began around 10 a.m., when Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson announced he was resting his case.
A day earlier, Roark's accuser, who was 16 at the time the alleged incidents took place and is now a college student, testified she and Roark had a relationship while she was in his trigonometry class.
Over time, the girl testified, the two were often in contact via text message and she said she'd stayed overnight at Roark's house.
She also testified they had sex in May 2005.
On Friday, Farrow called four witnesses, the last of whom was Roark.
Roark spent about 90 minutes on the stand and said he never had sexual relations with the teen.
He said the contact involved school-related matters such as classwork and sports. He said he had a friendly relationship with the girl, but not one that would involve him asking what she was doing on a weekend.
Roark also said it was the victim who initiated text-message contacts, of which the girl claimed there were hundreds, between the two.
When asked why there were so many messages exchanged between April and May of 2005, Roark said that may have been due to the types of trigonometry problems the teen was asking for help with.
Roark testified he found that, when helping other students, some problems were so complicated they couldn't be described in just one text message. That, he said, was the reason for an increase in the amount of contacts between himself and the girl.
When asked if the girl ever came to his house, Roark said there were two occurrences in late May, but both were in the daytime and lasted only a brief time.
On the night of the junior prom, May 7, 2005, when Roark's accuser testified she first went over to his house and he left approximately 100 texts for her, Roark said he did send out texts. However, he said they were sent to several students and members of his softball team and were simply reminders for them to have a good time and to be safe that night.
Roark said he began hearing rumors about a relationship between he and the girl around August 2005. He did talk with his accuser about the rumors, but she indicated she denied it when asked by others.
Roark said the rumors didn't preventing him from continuing to talk to the teen.
“I felt comfortable with the relationship we had,” he testified.
Roark testified he met with JCHS Principal Dr. Richard Pemberton in December 2005 to discuss the rumor, but said it was an informal meeting and Pemberton never told him he was forbidden to talk with the girl. But after that meeting, Roark said, the amount of contact decreased, but didn't stop.
It did stop after Roark got an e-mail from the girl and her boyfriend, who then were freshmen at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, that discussed the alleged relationship.
Under cross examination by Richardson, Roark did say he did not tell Pemberton that the victim had been over at his home.
Also testifying for the defense was Roark's former roommate, Michael Beasley, who stated he never saw students while he was living at the house. During an interview with police, Beasley testified, he was unable to identify the girl in a photo lineup.
He also said he was not aware the girl had identified him out of a photo lineup as Roark's roommate.
Although he resigned from the Jefferson City School District in January, after he was first charged with the crimes, Roark still has a certificate to teach in the state of Missouri. A certificate cannot be pulled unless a person is convicted of a crime.
Family and friends of Brent Roark, 30, cheered and burst into tears when the verdict was read - despite Cole County Judge Richard Callahan's earlier warning to keep themselves composed - about four-and-a-half hours after the jury began its deliberations following the two-day trial.
Roark himself began to sob after the verdict was read as family members who packed the courtroom to support him looked on. He was acquitted on two counts of second-degree statutory rape and one count of second-degree statutory sodomy.
Roark's attorney, Shane Farrow, said in a written statement, “Our client has maintained his innocence from the beginning. It is unfortunate that these allegations have led to the end of Brent's teaching career.
“Hopefully, his vindication will allow Brent to move forward with his life both personally and professionally.”
The verdict announcement ended an emotional day in court that began around 10 a.m., when Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson announced he was resting his case.
A day earlier, Roark's accuser, who was 16 at the time the alleged incidents took place and is now a college student, testified she and Roark had a relationship while she was in his trigonometry class.
Over time, the girl testified, the two were often in contact via text message and she said she'd stayed overnight at Roark's house.
She also testified they had sex in May 2005.
On Friday, Farrow called four witnesses, the last of whom was Roark.
Roark spent about 90 minutes on the stand and said he never had sexual relations with the teen.
He said the contact involved school-related matters such as classwork and sports. He said he had a friendly relationship with the girl, but not one that would involve him asking what she was doing on a weekend.
Roark also said it was the victim who initiated text-message contacts, of which the girl claimed there were hundreds, between the two.
When asked why there were so many messages exchanged between April and May of 2005, Roark said that may have been due to the types of trigonometry problems the teen was asking for help with.
Roark testified he found that, when helping other students, some problems were so complicated they couldn't be described in just one text message. That, he said, was the reason for an increase in the amount of contacts between himself and the girl.
When asked if the girl ever came to his house, Roark said there were two occurrences in late May, but both were in the daytime and lasted only a brief time.
On the night of the junior prom, May 7, 2005, when Roark's accuser testified she first went over to his house and he left approximately 100 texts for her, Roark said he did send out texts. However, he said they were sent to several students and members of his softball team and were simply reminders for them to have a good time and to be safe that night.
Roark said he began hearing rumors about a relationship between he and the girl around August 2005. He did talk with his accuser about the rumors, but she indicated she denied it when asked by others.
Roark said the rumors didn't preventing him from continuing to talk to the teen.
“I felt comfortable with the relationship we had,” he testified.
Roark testified he met with JCHS Principal Dr. Richard Pemberton in December 2005 to discuss the rumor, but said it was an informal meeting and Pemberton never told him he was forbidden to talk with the girl. But after that meeting, Roark said, the amount of contact decreased, but didn't stop.
It did stop after Roark got an e-mail from the girl and her boyfriend, who then were freshmen at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, that discussed the alleged relationship.
Under cross examination by Richardson, Roark did say he did not tell Pemberton that the victim had been over at his home.
Also testifying for the defense was Roark's former roommate, Michael Beasley, who stated he never saw students while he was living at the house. During an interview with police, Beasley testified, he was unable to identify the girl in a photo lineup.
He also said he was not aware the girl had identified him out of a photo lineup as Roark's roommate.
Although he resigned from the Jefferson City School District in January, after he was first charged with the crimes, Roark still has a certificate to teach in the state of Missouri. A certificate cannot be pulled unless a person is convicted of a crime.
 |
||
| Defendants sentenced during circuit court actions |
Article Rating |
|
Before commenting read the News Tribune Forum's policies and procedures.
Thanks.
midmogy wrote on Jan 30, 2008 2:11 AM: " Going to change the topic a little bit here. What concerns me is Roark apparently gave his cell phone number out to all his students. I do not see this as a wise corse of action at all. If he wants to help his students he can have office hours before and/or after school. If the student can't make those hours then use the school email. The teachers school email addys should be open to search by higher authoritys, preferably a school resorce officer or someone else that is familiar with chain of custody.
I would ask that the JCPS review its policy on what sort of communication is allowed between student/teachers and have more clearly defined polices in place. " royalflush wrote on Jan 29, 2008 7:18 PM: " sitter5 , there is no vow taken in this profession , its just understood what is professional and unprofessional as far as teaching ethics " maxheadroom wrote on Jan 29, 2008 7:06 PM: " sitter5, you don't think this man could get hired anywhere after this do you? He might have a certificate but he will not have a good recomendation from his last school job, and they will not lie why he was let go . Between that, media coverage googling his name ( what do you think will pop up when they do that,) he will not teach in missouri . Its like having a license with no car to drive " sitter5 wrote on Jan 29, 2008 5:19 PM: " When he became a teacher, he took a vow. Now he has gotten away with misconduct. That is why he will have to ask the lord to forgive him. He knows how much misconduct really occurred. " sitter5 wrote on Jan 29, 2008 5:17 PM: " I never said that she was the angel in the situation. I said she was only 16 and he was 28. He was the one who should of acted like the professional teacher that everyone is saying he is. I know I don't want my daughter to have any teachers like him when she gets to college. And although he has lost his job in JC he still has his teaching certificate. She had to deal with a lot of remarks, people throwing things at her parents house and vehicles, and she can't even come in town without ridicule. We wont even talk about how the rest of the family is treated... " sitter5 wrote on Jan 29, 2008 5:09 PM: " hey citizen -
You need to get the story straight. I know for a FACT that it was from him and so did the jury. They had a stack of texts and phone messages that were as thick as the phone book. We are in America where there is Freedom of speech so if it bothers you so much maybe you should not read the comments anymore. Try to be a little more mature instead of saying "you make me sick". If you don't agree take lessons from ohmygoodness- he knows how to respectfully disagree. " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 29, 2008 1:15 PM: " sitter5- also get the story straight it said the text was at 4am maybe but it was sent from her to him. He didn't reply and the majority of the text started her to him So get the story straight before you want to talk bad about someone. " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 29, 2008 1:14 PM: " Sitter5- People like you are the ones that make me sick. He said he didn't do it why does he have to ask the lord to forgive him. For what helping a girl with her homework bc he was her teacher, and helping her with sports and things like that. What does he have to ask forgiveness for. He didn't do anything and he even said he didn't " royalflush wrote on Jan 27, 2008 6:24 PM: " Yes there were two sides to this story and the teacher lost his career after acting unprofessional, and the young lady was guilty of pursuit and indiscretion albeit at a teenage level , it was still wrong and not telling the whole truth and she was not punished because of her age , so I can live with the outcome " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 27, 2008 3:49 PM: " Its so funny how so many want to blame the teenage girl because we all know these men wouldnt do the things they are said to have done Right?? Now with that said if any of these teenage girls were your daughters and came to you with what they said happened then what would you be saying?? Would it be that they led the coach on that they led that male teacher on?? What about the female teacher who was sent to prision for having relations with her student only to get out and have another baby by him and get married to him?? We need to remember that there are two sides to every story and he even admitted to doing wrong " boxergal wrote on Jan 27, 2008 12:35 PM: " Is this going to be the new fad now, "chasing after the coach"? I saw on the news that another coach in a small town was in trouble too. If it keeps on going like this, we aren't going to have any good male teachers and I understand they are in demand right now. Really a shame. " omygoodness wrote on Jan 27, 2008 10:15 AM: " you portray the vitim aas little bo peep, i respectfully disagree " sitter5 wrote on Jan 26, 2008 8:08 AM: " that he had to ruin that. But don't blame her. She was just trying to protect that it didn't happen to anyone else. She lied early on about the relationship because she cared for him, she didn't know any better-SHE WAS ONLY 16! Let's not forget that he was 12 years older than her. He may have been found innocent because there is a shadow of doubt, but he knows he is guilty and let's hope he asks the lord to forgive him. " sitter5 wrote on Jan 26, 2008 8:05 AM: " Yea, she admitted to calling him and asking him questions- but he stepped over the line by continuing to contact her or not stopping it when it went to far. He CROSSED THE LINE and took advantage of a sweet 16 year old girl by calling her and texting her at 4 am (especially on prom night when he knew she was at the prom with her boyfriend)-they have proof of all of this. So I think it wasn't her chasing him, it was HE WAS CHASING HER...How would any 16 year old feel but special and excited about this. But to continue and take advantage is just wrong. He may have been a good teacher and it is just sad..... " xbluidgurlx87x wrote on Jan 26, 2008 7:29 AM: " I do not personally know this girl. But I had many close friends, as well as my brother and sister that had Coach Roark. And I know for a fact that he gave his cell to all students (i believe it was on the syllabus(sp)) at the beginning of the semester in case they had problems with the work. He was a great teacher (my brother stinks at school in general but thanks to Coach Roark he came out of his class with a B). And I have also heard from a couple people that she admitted at first that the rumors were false, but then changed her story when her boyfriend threatened to break up with her if he found out that she was... " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 25, 2008 1:56 PM: " You all act like you are little kids. The man I repeat was found not guilty meaning he didn't do it. Let him go on with his life and not have to worry about getting "a bad eye" around this town. He doesnt deserve the negitivity. This little liar girl ruined his life Made him get fired or let go and ruined his name in this town He doesn't deserve to be treated like that and his life ruined bc of lies bc a girl had a crush on him. He doesn't deserve the negativity. He was found NOT GUILTY " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 25, 2008 1:50 PM: " I have read many of the comments posted within the last couple days and first of all I have no idea where you all got he even thought about doing a plea bargain. I heard he was offered one by richardson but He said no way i didn't do it. 2nd This town makes me upset. this is exactly why the younger generation is getting out of this town bc people like you all cant let things go and dont want certain things in this town. The man was found Not Guilty but you all are saying horrible things like he should be punished and you believe he did it and "giving him a dirty eye" " hahayeah816 wrote on Jan 24, 2008 2:21 PM: " Shane Farrow is a bad a$$! He can get anyone off. God J-Town is a horrible place. " royalflush wrote on Jan 24, 2008 12:14 AM: " I'm not blaming the girl , and I think the man did get punished , lost his career, everyone in state has heard of this he will not teach again.And as far living in town , known by many he wil lcatch a fishe eye or evil eye or stare by many when they see him, kinda like a pariah " royalflush wrote on Jan 24, 2008 12:10 AM: " Nd there is not a single thing I disagree with in your 2 posts, unprofessional, unethical, lacking judgement,
sad, stupid etc etc.... I was just trying to clarify why anyone who was innocent would consider a plea bargain when innocent , The texts and house visits all add up to a teacher who crossed the line, but the acquittal meansd the jury found him not guilty of the charges. I personally think they both lied and the jury found it hard to believe either one that well. In that case as a juror , you have no choice, to do what they did " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 23, 2008 11:38 PM: " what do you think he was getting from all of the texting...lets truelly think they said some of the texts were at 4am...what teen do you know that does homework at 4am...please...its time we all start thinking about what this man was truelly doing instead of blaming a teenage girl...she may have known right from wrong but who did we have teaching our kids...who was it we were suppose to trust? " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 23, 2008 11:34 PM: " royalflush yes others may have tried to take a deal...but then again how many others would be so lacking in judgement as an ADULT to flirt, text or anything with a 16yr old girl. By nature a teenage girl is going to flirt ect...that is how it has always been and when an older man flirts back they see it is looking older and having more power...what is it but a quick thrill for a grown man? " royalflush wrote on Jan 23, 2008 11:06 PM: " sitter 5, legal definiton of acquittal: 1. Ajudgement rendered by judge or jury to be found not guilty of crime as charged. 2 The state of being found not guilty
In reference to plea bargaining , many people plea bargain to avoid the worst thing that could happen to them even when they choose to defend themself and are innocent , go to jail. As Byron says does'nt matter if you are innocent when they send you to jail , its real and it happens every day . You and others might do the same if you faced 7 years in jail " royalflush wrote on Jan 23, 2008 10:50 PM: " Midmoraised. well put and I respect your beliefs since you were in that class of kids, no one on hear disagree the situation was way out of hand and the individual accused was way out of line professionally with his situation, but...... you stil lcan not just assume they had sex off of heresay and what the kid believe and this mans flirting habits. Again the polygraph test has its faults read previous post from law enforcement mention that there is 15 per cnet false postive readings , that means you have aone in chance of having a false reading. If you were this man's lawyer would you propose he take a 1 in 6 chance of being a false positive read? Would you takeaonein6chanceofgoingtojail? " Byron W. wrote on Jan 23, 2008 4:47 PM: " sitter5 wrote "So...if he was not guilty, why would he try to get a plea bargain and admit he was guilty as long as he doesn't go to jail??.... "
I don't know, maybe because he didn't want to go to jail? There are a few innocent folk in jail, I hear. " sitter5 wrote on Jan 23, 2008 4:31 PM: " So...if he was not guilty, why would he try to get a plea bargain and admit he was guilty as long as he doesn't go to jail??.... " Byron W. wrote on Jan 23, 2008 1:12 PM: " RespectedAdult, thre are reasons polygraphs are not used in court. " royalflush wrote on Jan 23, 2008 10:39 AM: " respected adult I defer to Go Fish's polygraph studies that is what I have read on polygraphs too, so I beleive I would not take one either, if it is one in 6 thats not good odds " royalflush wrote on Jan 23, 2008 10:37 AM: " Thanks Rick I thought this was new and that we did not have it before " Go_Fish wrote on Jan 23, 2008 10:16 AM: " "RespectedAdult""School officials and law enforcement said a “watchdog group” that apparently looks for these type of messages between students and teachers had intercepted the message. Pemberton then notified authorities, who then started their investigation.Friday, Jan 18, 2008", so I suppose you will say the Tribune looks "Silly"."Last year, Attorney General John Ashcroft estimated the false-positive rate of polygraphs at 15%,about a one-in-six chance, at a news conference."USATODAY2002. I have worked with LawEnforcement and MSHP and Corrections, polygraphs are NOT 97%accurate,they are only as good as the examiner and the machine.I've personally witnessed false positives and I would NEVER take a polygraph, nor would ANY competent attorney advise a client to take one.The machine only says how the person reacts to the test it doesn't confirm_quilt-or-innocence. " online_editor wrote on Jan 23, 2008 8:55 AM: " Cole County was without a grand jury for awhile, but it was revived in 2007. See Grand jury impaneled for details. --Rick Brown, online editor, News Tribune " royalflush wrote on Jan 23, 2008 5:28 AM: " Eastern guy you are mistaken there is a code of professional ethics and you are not supposed to throw stuff out there in public without people requesting it by themselves " royalflush wrote on Jan 23, 2008 5:27 AM: " native son..I thought we were a county that the grand jury could not bring case to trial , pleae straighten me out here , I thought this was atalking point when Richardson, Tackett and Rich-Carver were running for PA'a office " nativeson wrote on Jan 22, 2008 11:13 PM: " First off -if this has been mentioned - I aplogize. For all of you people that are bashing the P.A. for bringing this trial to court -be aware that the Cole County Grand Jury sent this case to trial -- not the PA!!
The PA has to, -by law -, send any case to trial that they decide to! Any grand jury has access to far more testimony than any petit (SP?)(trial) jury has. There very probably is good reason why this case was sent to trial. If you don't believe this -- do your homework on the "system" " Eastern_guy wrote on Jan 22, 2008 10:29 PM: " Nobody will be losing jobs over an "info leak." Mr. Roark's case is closed. Eventually, most of the court transcripts and criminal records will be open documents for all the public to read. It's just a matter who makes the effort to acquire them. " royalflush wrote on Jan 22, 2008 10:08 PM: " respected adult if you work in the law enforcement dept or have a freind that told you this , you best keep quiet becaue someone will lose their job over that info leak " royalflush wrote on Jan 22, 2008 10:05 PM: " and sadly enough most have either drank alcohol, smoked or had sex before 9th grade look at the stats its true . see what I mean, was'nt like that 30 years ago " royalflush wrote on Jan 22, 2008 10:04 PM: " young adults are way more advanced and can be as caniving and sneaky as any intelligent older adult, .
Not saying this one was.... But as part of the older generation I have learned not to fall for , the oh poor little 16 year old trap as if whatever happens should never be their fault because they are too young. I agree the adult should be more accountable than the teen . But let's remember what I 1st said, kids are more advanced and doing more older adult things good and bad . On the bad side we try them as adults for certain crimes because they premeditate, some are hard core drug dealers, many disrespect adults " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 22, 2008 9:31 PM: " It seems that alot of people are all over this girl (victim) in this...first off she was 16yrs old...yes she was a young adult and she should also know right from wrong...problem is that for young girls when an older man looks their way it makes them feel special at the time. Also if he was her coach by doing stuff for him was she getting special privilages with that?? And lets not forget all of those text messages...where were her parents?? Yes all of my children have cell phones but I also check to see who they have been texting and calling and who has contacted them. No different than using a computer. Now for the teacher lets remember he was a adult...ShameOnHim " RespectedAdult wrote on Jan 22, 2008 7:04 PM: " scanning program on your computer to make sure no virus's get to your computer. "watchdog" simple looks for inappropriate words such as "sex" and takes the e-mail and allows someone in a higher power read the e-mail. There was nothing illegal done from the beginning except that man consenting to a 16 year old girl.
A lie detector test does show that they had sex because she was asked "have you had sex with brent roark"...if she had not..the lie detector would show..leaving less than 2 percent for error. Because she did pass with flying colors and he refused to take it...shows me more than anything right there. Know your facts before you try and argue..you just look silly. " RespectedAdult wrote on Jan 22, 2008 6:59 PM: " Sportsmom- thanks for speaking up and finally making it more clear to the public about why a person would wait so long. I would speculate the situation more if the girl was 16 and claiming to of had sex with the teacher because that would show that she wanted attention (like all highschool girls.) Instead she did hold it in which to me shows that it actually did happen because she obviously did not have the intention of having sex with him and then getting him fired, which shows that the texts were more than a simple text.
On another note..Go_Fish, You need to get your facts straight and realize that "watchdog" is a program..just like any virus scanning " boxergal wrote on Jan 22, 2008 5:54 PM: " No Ashlynn, I would say his career is ruined. So you have a ruined career and a girl that will forever be known for it. Really tragic all the way around. " sportsmom wrote on Jan 22, 2008 5:47 PM: " I can't sit back quietly about the judgments regarding why she waited so long. As a former sexual abuse victim, I can tell you exactly why it took me a long time to tell-fear and mostly being afraid of being judged which is just like being victimized all over again. Walk a mile in that person's shoes. She is not innocent I don't believe because she was initiating the contact too. But please don't be so blind to assume people who wait to tell are lying. They wait because sometimes living with the pain is better than living with the judgment and humiliation. " Missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 4:28 PM: " Not taking anything personal so please stop making it that way, just reading what you post. Have a nice day WOW> " wow wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:36 PM: " Missjc here's what I wrote: 1X "Also I'm not saying this person is guilty of anything except inapropriate behavior", 2nd X The teacher may have been been acquitted of the more serious offense, but he is unquestionably guilty of stupidity and conduct unbecoming a professional teacher, 3rd X's a charm "in this most recent JC case of 16 will get ya 20,where it appears the adult/teacher at least engaged in inappropriate contact with the young victim." When did I write the teacher is guilty of anything other than stupid inappropriate behvaior? Perhaps you should stop reading into my statements and accept what's there. I'm not hatin on ya, but perhaps you're taking all this a bit to personal. " Go_Fish wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:19 PM: " As usual, this case was tried heavily in the press before the trial. My big question is who the heck was this alleged "watchdog" group that hacked the email account that they reportedly do when they see messages sent between student and teacher. Isn't hacking a crime??? That illegal search/seizure was the beginning of the BS. Sounds like law enforcement used an illegal hack to make a paper thin case. Knowing the layout of a house doesn't equal sex. A roomate's testimony doesn't equal sex. A teen's imagination doesn't equal sex. Lie detectors don't equal sex. Lie detection is an imperfect science at best,it is a tool not an absolute proof, it is not 100% accurate. " Missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:13 PM: " akb I think your right, just because your 16 does not mean that you can not come up with a story like this. Again I will repeat I have seen this first hand, I know from a personal experiance that a girl in her teens can lie and they DO just for attention or because the person turned them down it is a sick world but it happens a lot and those girls should be punished..you don't ruin someone's life just to get back at him/her or to get attention. " Missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:08 PM: " You must have been sun stricken at the time because I do recall you saying that, but that is not the issue..you say that being acquitted does not mean your innocent but also does not mean your guilty either..just keep that in mind!
And just to clear things up I never said that the texting was appropriate behavor because it is not and he should be punsihed for that because it is a FACT that, that happened but just because he sent her text messages does NOT mean he is guilty of have sex with her. " akb wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:04 PM: " Oh, please - can anyone really believe that this girl was a "victim" and she lied about what happened for a year and a half out of shame and embarrassment? I'm glad this guy was acquitted... even if they did have a sexual relationship, it was obviously consentual. " ashlynn wrote on Jan 22, 2008 3:03 PM: " boxergal...I know this man and his parents. You have no idea what kind of hell they were put threw. I think we should let Brent and his family move on with their lives...I'm thankful this is finally over for them. Although he will never be able to teach in this city again...regardless if he has his license. You know just as well as I do no school will hire him after all this went down. " wow wrote on Jan 22, 2008 2:53 PM: " Mid-Mo, your friend thought and acted with the right part if his body part...his brain! Time and time again we've seen that doing the opposite has gotten both gender's in trouble regarding situations like this. I uderstand you concern that even though your buddie did the right, he could possibly still be accused of wrong doing; however in his situation there would be a lot more credibiltiy to his defense, because of what he did to control the sitution. I surrely hope he has been able to finally enjoy the teaching profession, because in spite of all the ills associated with the academic-profession. Good teacher's are hard to find and even harder to retain. Besides that, good teacher's rock! " wow wrote on Jan 22, 2008 2:15 PM: " MissJC I don't think it was me who said school age kids should be treated like adults. If you read that in one of my responses, then it was a typo or I was sun stricken at the time, because thinking like that goes against my normal standards of morality and common sense. Also I'm not saying this person is guilty of anything except inapropriate behavior, which I concluded from knowing about the various messages that "were" passed between the two people in question. Remember when a 16yr old has2 control what an adult does, there's-gonna-B- some-trouble. Additionally, check it out for yourself, being acquitted is not the same as being found innocent. " Mid-Mo wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:57 PM: " Ah, but the point is, my friend did leave a few texts. He returned one asking who the person was writing the original text. He also wrote two asking her to stop writing him over the course of a couple months. If she'd accused him of something, they could've then looked back and said he texted her too. Granted, this is different than hundreds or thousands of texts, but the point is that she could've said that. Thank God he reacted the way he did, it would've only ended badly if he hadn't. " missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:42 PM: " did he cross the line when he sent messages to this girl, YES..but that does not make him guilty of having sex with her. This girl waited how many years to say something, why did she decide now would be a good time to speak up? Why say something years after it supposedly happened? You people underestimate girls now days I have seen first hand what a so called "child" can come up with and accuse someone of, it happens more then you know and it ruins a lot of lives. But my point to his is that TWO people know for sure what happend, none of us know the truth so we should not pretend to! " missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:36 PM: " You need to vist a high school then RespectedAdult because it is NOT easy... Mr. Roark was NOT found guilty of having sex with this girl so please do not say other wise, that is YOUR opinion no one knows for sure what happened between the two of them.
And WOW in other forums regarding school issues you have said a number of times how kids in high school should be treated like an adult then in this forum you call a 16 year old a child...so which is it? Child or adult? If Mr. Roark had sexual realtions with young lady then he should be punshied to the fullest extent, BUT we do not know if that is true. " RespectedAdult wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:29 PM: " Wow. I could not of said it better myself.
Also, I hope people do realize that it is not only affecting Roarks career, but the victims family as well. I'm sure they will be transfering somewhere else because of how many people look to blame him instead of the 30 year old free man walking the streets for his next young teen victim. " RespectedAdult wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:26 PM: " .and not even the legal age...A red flag should have been pulled from the very beginning.
He messed up and for some reason it's easier to blame a 16 year old teenager,than a 26 year old college graduate, teacher, and softball coach. I do not believe that being a teacher is as difficult as your stating missjc..if they dont have the common knowledge to know that having sex with a 16 year old girl is wrong after they have completed four years in college then it's not the teaching profession.it's something mentally unbalanced in their head.I believe there are great teachers out there, it's just the screw ups that make male teachers look bad,and unfortunantly scare people from teaching or even being taught. " wow wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:24 PM: " Sure it's not easy being a adult, but just as MidMo's friend did, the adult's/teacher's have 2maintaine self-control. Now I don't like the idea that this fella had 2move 2another town, but sometimes ya do what ya gotta do! Point is, MidMo, your friend remained adult and professional, which is not what happened in this most recent JC case of 16 will get ya 20,where it appears the adult/teacher at least engaged in inappropriate contact with the young victim.
16yr old's throwing themselves at adult's/teacher's isn't the problem, after all the 16 yr old's are just kids. The problem is when the audlt forget's he/she is an adult and accepts the 16yr old's advances. " missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:24 PM: " memyself just because "your" kids say " that doesn't surprise me at all" does not make him guilty, I know a lot of kids who really liked Mr. Roark and thought very highly of him. " RespectedAdult wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:18 PM: " As heartwarming as your story was Mid-Mo... It was irrelevent to what happend in this case. Although the teen did talk to Roark.. unlike your friend, Roark responded. 4,000 text messages were sent from him, I dont know if I can comprehend how many that really is in a two month span. Roark did nothing to hide from her, ignore her calls or texts, or never took himself to the principles office. The only time he was there was when he was called in. I'm not going to sit and say that either side was perfectly right or wrong, but there has to be an adult somewhere that knows that a child 10 years younger than you.. " memyself wrote on Jan 22, 2008 1:04 PM: " Did he do it? Don't know. Did she lie? Don't know. But I do know, that when the original story broke, I informed both of my kids (both JC graduates) who said " that doesn't surprise me at all". 'Nuff said. " missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 12:06 PM: " Thanks for that story Mid_MO that just goes to show how girls will do anything for attention, I am not saying all girls are like that but there are a lot of them that are and it is scary in today's world the way some of these girls think it is just unreal. You could not pay me enough to be a teacher in today's world. They have to deal with so much. " Mid-Mo wrote on Jan 22, 2008 11:45 AM: " He loved his job, just not that situation. He went and told the Principal and A.D. about it, but was still so afraid that she'd accuse him of something like this that he decided to leave. I rode with him to one of their home games and after the game we were going to go out to eat. The girl was waiting at his vehicle and tried to get us to take her with us, she even offered to get one of her friends to go with me. Later, she seemed to be everywhere we were. The restaurant, gas station, etc. She even texted asking us to come to her house because her parents were away. I was scared for him. " Mid-Mo wrote on Jan 22, 2008 11:32 AM: " I have a friend who taught at a school in the area. He was freash outta college and enjoying his teaching/coaching job. Anyway, a popular 16 year old girl started texting him. She did everything she could to get to him. He kept ignoring her. She got worse with each week, she even started using other girls phones so he wouldn't know the number and would answer and talk to her or text her back asking who it was. Those friends then went to another coach and told him about it. Apparently, the other coach was having the same problem with another popular girl, almost like the girls were in a competition. My friend hadn't done anything, but he left after the.year because of the.rumors " smellsfishy wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:41 AM: " Exactly..missjc come on this was not a millionaire that could pay people off people to withhold evidence I conclude guilty of many inappropriate things in terms
of his teacher student relationships, but theres not enough there to convict a person of sodomy and stauatory rape . As far people commenting on his behavior while testimony, anyone who had any dignity would be embarrassed to talk about any of this in front of people that does not mean he was lying about the charges " missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:29 AM: " My question is, how in the world would they have DNA? How long ago did this supposedly happen? " omygoodness wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:19 AM: " last we have people in the forum here that were at the trial not one of them has said anything about DNA what say you Pator J, remember its a sin to bear false witness " omygoodness wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:12 AM: " last overlooked facts ??????? You mean the jury did not know any of this or they just did not consider them ? Either way thats crazy!!!!! " omygoodness wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:11 AM: " Paster J has nothing on the DNA .Why is he the only one to say this? Good thing you chose clergy over law profession the Ethics commision would can you in a second " omygoodness wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:09 AM: " Anyone that believes Mr. after I heard my calling, (aka as pastor J) has to step back and think for second
1st. Don't you think this would have been in the news ? It sure was when Millard case was opened and he had tons of money to buy his way out of that one. 2nd... Why was this evidence not presented at the trial , obviously the Pros Attorneys office needed way more evidence tahn they had ? Sorry I'm not beleiving the DNA stuff , we would have heard that in trials , in paper andingrand jury indictment. Next , yres she did describe house perfect one time and wrong several other times, so thats not flawless " missjc wrote on Jan 22, 2008 7:56 AM: " First off someone stole my name! :- )
PastorJ...where did you hear they found DNA? Sitter is right, only three people know the truth, Mr. Roark, the girl and God and who ever is not telling the truth will have to live with the fact they really messed up someone's life. I am not sure who is guilty here but I don't think it is our job to judge people when we do not have the truth. " PastorJ wrote on Jan 21, 2008 10:17 PM: " I have studied law and taught it at the college level before hearing my calling to become an active member of the clergy. I am completely disgusted by the outcome of this case. The truth was evident, and it is unfortunate that the jury was blinded by lies.
Overlooked facts: 4000 text messages were equally exchanged. The girl described the interior or his home perfectly. The victim picked the seemingly "clueless" roommate out of a photo lineup. The girl passed a polygraph test;he refused to take it. DNA of the victim was found on a blanket in the house. These are just a few facts to consider. " sitter5 wrote on Jan 21, 2008 10:07 PM: " I don't know if she was consenting or not, IT DOES NOT MATTER, she was 16 and he was 28- it is against the law!! " mizjc wrote on Jan 21, 2008 9:49 PM: " so hot anyway, so she decided it would be best to ruin the life of a man that she was (from my point of view) obsessed with. " mizjc wrote on Jan 21, 2008 9:48 PM: " I was a student of Mr. Roark's at this time (actually in the accuser trig class)and I just want to say that I think it is all BS! He was the best teacher I had at JC and teachers like him are really few and far between. Sure, he got along with his students but not like that. I also think that even if this did happen she was consenting.. not to say he didn't mess up but everything she is saying is soooo made up! It took her so long to come forward that you can obviously tell that it was encouraged by someone else who found out something (even if it wasn't sex). She just didn't want to lose her reputation, which wasn't " Byron W. wrote on Jan 21, 2008 9:03 PM: " stop wrote Since the jury acquitted him we have to assume they heard all of the evidence and made the correct decision. "
often that would be a mistake. " sportsmom wrote on Jan 21, 2008 8:45 PM: " I am just skeptical of the whole situation. I can tell you that if a teacher was contacting my children through their cell phones or texting them, I would have a serious problem with it. If my child needed help with homework, I would contact the teacher at school and schedule some assistance during school time or after school. How did she even get his cell phone number? Someone had to give it to her. He may have been innocent in the allegations, but he failed to exhibit professional boundaries. Regardless of how much she contacted him, came to his house, etc. he needed to be professional and even report her behavior to the principal, etc. if he felt " sitter5 wrote on Jan 21, 2008 7:22 PM: " I know there is only one judge in the end and only the victim and the accused know the real truth. One of the victims will sleep better at night because she told the truth, the other will have to deal with his lies in the end. I wouldn't want to be him... I only hope that if this happens again, a child won't be afraid to stand up to the popular coach, teacher or family member and let them know they cannot get away with taking advantage of their situation or status... " anotherview wrote on Jan 21, 2008 6:19 PM: " As I said earlier, being found guilty doesn't mean he was innocent.
FACTS: She passed the lie detector test, Mr. Roark refused to take it. Mr. Roark originally tried to negotiate a plea bargain where he would plead guilty, as long as he wouldn't have to serve prison time. Text messages on phone records showed some were around 4AM. I agree with RespectedAdult---Mr. Roark could not even look at the jury during his testimony. Many seem to be worrying about how this will effect the rest of Mr. Roarks life. How about the victim? Her life has also been changed forever. " wow wrote on Jan 21, 2008 5:43 PM: " RespectedAdult, I didn't sit through the entire trial but I did witness some of it. Like you, I was impressed with the victims case. The defense on the other hand, left me with to many unanswered questions. The teacher may have been been acquitted of the more serious offense, but he is unquestionably guilty of stupidity and conduct unbecoming a professional teacher. Only time will tell what happens next. But, shamefully this isn't the last we will hear about this type of conduct and that scares me very much!!!! " RespectedAdult wrote on Jan 21, 2008 4:52 PM: " One last comment...
The only sad thing about this entire trial, was that a guilty man was set free. And worse than that, he will live with a heavy heart the rest of his life for the lies he testified willfully on that stand. The world will forget that man, but he will never be forgiven. " RespectedAdult wrote on Jan 21, 2008 4:46 PM: " It is written:"..of which the girl claimed there were hundreds, between the two."
There was not hundreds of texts, there was thousands..4,000 text messages exchanged. If that standing by itself isn't something inappropriate then our society really is slightly deranged. I don't understand how one could honestly believe Roark when he was questioned about the sexual acts between himself and the teen. He sat with his eyes closed while answering the question that the 19 year old victim answered with confidence and pose while looking every jury member in the eye to prove her own testimony true. It's sad to me that instead of receiving freedom for standing for truth (proved in the polygraph test), she now is facing more prejudice than ever. " wow wrote on Jan 21, 2008 3:24 PM: " Being acquitted isn't the same as being innocent, that was my point. 12 people who are sworn 2sit in judgment often acquit based on what they have been allowed 2work with. Some of that is based on rules of evidence and some of that is based on instructions from the judge. So I'm not wrong. I never professed 2know the man and therefore should've never assumed that he was married. My bad.
Sure I"ll never know what the jury was thinking, but I am following logic. If the jury thought he was 100% innocent, then why not render a "not guilty verdict"? Oomygoodness I've based my conclusion on the decision of Jury. " omygoodness wrote on Jan 21, 2008 1:51 PM: " I don't know that he deserved 7 years in jailas ghe could have received, if you knew the victim you would also know who the boy was that turned the teacher in and others she mingled with , lets just call them lacking credabilty and moral standing " omygoodness wrote on Jan 21, 2008 1:47 PM: " sitter , I do not think she wanted the attention, I do not think she wanted this trial either, but once the prosecuting attorneys office proceeded you have no choice but to defend you story and reputation. I think she fudged on the whole truth and nothing but the truth part to make her story better, you should have been their it was obvious , the smirks and giggles di not help her either. He was wrong and he was the adult and he lost his career, attorney fees and credibilty in the community , but " sitter5 wrote on Jan 21, 2008 12:33 PM: " I know the girl and she doesn't try to do things to "just get attention", she didn't even want to turn him in because she felt in someways she was responsible. She was 16 and he was 28- someone has to be the adult. He sure wasn't by calling her and texting her so many times to encourage her to have a relationship with him. That is just wrong, I hope he is never in a position to teach my children... " omygoodness wrote on Jan 21, 2008 11:39 AM: " ps wow he is not and never was married so you are wrong there too, get the facts , please before you go on one of your diatribes " omygoodness wrote on Jan 21, 2008 11:38 AM: " There you go again, wow spouting on something you know little about but think you do. Nothing worse than an educated fool. You have no clue as to what the jury thought ( they knew he was guilty but could not convict him with judges intructions..geesh. I'm not cheering the verdict either way but theres no way to prove there was what he was charged with accept one questionable teenager with a record of lying . Do I want him to teach again, nope but I'm not ready to persecute him and put him in jail because I formed an opinion without allthe facts like you have " wow wrote on Jan 21, 2008 11:27 AM: " He was acquitted, which is not the same as being found 100% innocent. He's kinda like the OJ Simpson of Jefferson City. Just like OJ, the jury know's he did it, but could not find him guilty with the evidence and instructions the judge provided. I'm not saying the system allowed the teacher a free pass, I'm just saying, sometimes ya get the dog and sometimes the dog gets you. How many cheering his freedom would hire him to babysit or tutor your young teenage daughter? The court may have set him free, but the wife is the real judge, jury and executioner. If she clears him, then perhaps he has a chance at getting over this. " maxheadroom wrote on Jan 21, 2008 8:32 AM: " every day ?, he resigned because he also knew they would probably not renew his contract as well , which they would not have. And he knew he was in the fight for his life so he had to start working on defending himself . He would not hqave had a job but for afew more months before they reissued contracts " maxheadroom wrote on Jan 21, 2008 8:29 AM: " nd . I said in every post , he was guilty of unprofessional conduct as a teacher( ie texting and being too freindly and close)znd I said and for that you will lose your job and he did. He did not get released because he may have had sex , even though he was charged with that. A school district can fire a teacher for anything. Do you think the schol wants back this public relations nightmare or any school within 100 miles ? Constantly having parents asking nnot to have him as a teacher ? He left because under those circumstyance it would be hard to be an effective teacher under those circumstances . Would you want to face those kids under those charges " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 21, 2008 5:51 AM: " My other question would be if he wasnt guilty then why leave your job...from all that has been said he gave up that right no one told him to leave. And if so many found him trustworthy then he should also go back...im sure knowing he isnt guilty he can get his job back. Expecially since the school stood behind him. " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 21, 2008 5:49 AM: " I do agree if a young adult is making a false accusation then yes they also need a punishment as well. But it sounds like so many of us are saying oh well this teacher used just bad judgement...i think if you are in a possition where you are in charge of young adults you have to be adult enough yourself to handle that resposibility without doing anything that could be said to be compromising of yourself. Wouldnt you agree max that as a teacher texting, inviting your student over to your home alone or asking for one on one time in that manner seems out of place...would you put yourself in a position like that?? I think it was a big error in judgement.... " maxheadroom wrote on Jan 20, 2008 11:11 PM: " maybe hard for kids to come forward because they may fear people will not beleive the, whats to stop a kid from making a false accusation to get attention or bring someone down. I mean what is the punishment risk?
The answer is: None " maxheadroom wrote on Jan 20, 2008 11:10 PM: " For a trial that seemed to be an open and shut case (remember the PA's office cancelled the 1st trial because they came up on more evidence and witnesses )to be presented and decided on in two days tells me the evidence was shoddy , from unreliable people , who really did not want a trial so the jury had to do what they did . This case was two years in the making and bang its over in 2 days. Unprofessional conduct cost a man his career and good standing , and a pretty substanial lawyers fee . But it sounds that he did not deserve to be put to trial to go to prison . On the flip side that it " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 20, 2008 10:48 PM: " what is truelly sad is now when something happens to another teen wether it be a female or male by a staff member they wont come forward because they will fear that everyone will blame them or not believe them at all. It truelly is sad...and for all of us to sit and judge without knowing all the facts is also sad " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 20, 2008 10:47 PM: " they have to be guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt...if not they have to go with Not guilty...And yes she was a 16yr old girl...but he was a man who knew of a risk by having a teenage girl over to his home....Most teachers say come before or after school to the school for help... " ndnlvngcherokee wrote on Jan 20, 2008 10:46 PM: " Ok i guess i am totally confussed right now...the roommate couldnt pick her out in a photo lineup but she picked him out. They had proof of the text messaging but he says it was all for homework...question how many of your children out there get text messages from their teachers?? In a day with Email and the school having the portal to get help why would they text a teacher. Why would a teacher start texting with their private number back and forth with a student...and how many other students were getting these texts and how many of those texts a day. Why would that girl need to be at that teachers home in the first place? Truelly it is a matter of ... " Fortress wrote on Jan 20, 2008 8:30 PM: " Text messaging would be the most STUPID and SLOWEST way of getting help for any school subject.
Why didn't they get transcripts from the phone service to prove it was school related or not? or can they only do that on TV? Teenage Girls are getting weirder and weirder. " mark_von wrote on Jan 20, 2008 6:01 PM: " I believe the teachers/coaches in this school district at the beginning of each school year are told that this is a major no no. " boxergal wrote on Jan 20, 2008 4:48 PM: " "dramatic teen gone wild" The movie will be the next thing. Crazy world now, isn't it? And yes, even I went to a teachers home years ago for tutoring. What has this world come to? " outoftowner wrote on Jan 20, 2008 4:38 PM: " MarkVon,
My mom's a teacher and she routinely deals with questions outside of the classroom. She can't get away from it and any decent teacher would be OK with a student contacting them. I don't know how appropriate text messaging is, but it's the way people communicate these days. The days of calling a teacher and asking questions is unfortunately gone. " boxergal wrote on Jan 20, 2008 2:25 PM: " I agree MissJC, they should be held accountable for screwing with someone's life and then just walking away. Sorry about your brother, thats really sad. " missjc wrote on Jan 20, 2008 2:02 PM: " I went to school with Mr. Roark and from what I know of him he is a good guy, I also live by some of his family..they are good people and I never believed this girls story for a sec. " missjc wrote on Jan 20, 2008 1:59 PM: " The girl that accused my brother of this has mental problems, she also accused her parents of beating her earlier that same year, she did anything for attention and that is so sad that these girls have to stoop to that level for attention. " mark_von wrote on Jan 20, 2008 1:57 PM: " whether this happened or not (remember OJ was acquitted too) this teacher was responsible for his undoing. There should have been only one text message from him saying it is inaapropriate for a teacher to be texting or contacting a student away from school related activities. Any questions on homework should be dealt with at school. If a teacher/coach needs to contact a student/athlete they should do it by going thru the parents. " missjc wrote on Jan 20, 2008 1:56 PM: " that you may have done something like that you are branded for life weather your guilty or not. Just like my brother Mr. Roark will have to live with this for the rest of his life, he will live with people thinking did he or didn't he. It is a horrible thing and I think women who accuse people of such crimes and are later found out to be lying should be charged with a crime..you don't ruin someone's life just because you are jelouse or you want attention..they should be held responsible for messing up the life of a innocent person. " missjc wrote on Jan 20, 2008 1:53 PM: " This story also hits close to home my brother was accused of the same thing by his's wife's sister come to find out it was all BS and she only did it for attention, her siser had been the center of attention for years and she wanted that to change so she made up a story that my brother did something to her THREE or FOUR years ealier..she of course was lying..he passed a lie dector test with flying colors and she droped the charges..hummm, wonder why. This runied my brother, he is seperated and will soon file for a divorce and he is pretty messed up over it, this is not something you can just erase fom people's mind once word gets out that " boxergal wrote on Jan 20, 2008 10:21 AM: " Sigh - I have to retract something. You are right, not so much targeting as a need for attention. You blend in a boyfriend that gets jealous, it builds into something and in the end someone's life is destroyed, be it intentional or not. " boxergal wrote on Jan 20, 2008 9:54 AM: " I would LOVE to hear from someone that knows this man....like Maxheadroom, the teacher. Please Max....where are you? I am sure you could explain. " boxergal wrote on Jan 20, 2008 9:45 AM: " The prosecutor in Callaway pursued a stupid case I was on. He had to, like TGIF said. In the end the girl that said she was beat looked totally ridiculous and the lawyers and everyone said it was a waste of taxpayer money. But it has to be done. This was an interesting case where a small town girl was trying to ruin the life of a Westminster student. And if you all think this stuff isn't in the courts, ask around. And from what I understand, restraining orders from girls mad at their boyfriends are the popular thing now. Total waste of the courts time and your money. " boxergal wrote on Jan 20, 2008 9:38 AM: " TGIF - yes destroy....thats what they intend to do when they do this sort of thing. And there is always a boyfriend. I could tell you tales of "a boyfriend" of the girl that targeted my son. He cornered my son in an alley and was going to beat him up. Again, is this all this town knows is how to create some redneck scenerio that belongs on the Springer show. If this is what truly happened, then she needs help. I am not saying he didn't respond to some extent, I know nothing about it, I am just saying it happens. " boxergal wrote on Jan 20, 2008 9:33 AM: " Sigh - trust me, I am not naive. What I was trying to get across is that for years the male got the blame for being skirt chasers. Not true, go sit in a bar sometime (something I don't like to do). Watch what happens. Males cause drama too but I have to tell you something....I am not from here and I see this stuff everywhere. In the work place in the small po dunk towns. Is everyone just bored here or what is the problem? Or maybe they watch too much Springer. There is gossip everywhere in this town, you can't do anything without someone else knowing. TGIF had it right, fuel on the fire. " boxergal wrote on Jan 20, 2008 9:29 AM: " This makes me so sick. It brings back such bad memories of our problem. What is so fun about ruining a person's teaching career? I don't get that, it has to be immaturity at its worst. " TGIF wrote on Jan 20, 2008 8:12 AM: " The fact is girl and her boyfriend got together and decided it might be fun for whatever reason to destry the life of there teacher, and the general public poured gas on the fire by automatically assuming that because the allegation was made it must be true. The Prosecuting Attorney's Office filed the charges because it was really left without a choice. Look at it from their prospective, what if it had been true & they didn't file charges? So, what's next for our underpaid teachers? It comes down to a catch 22 situation. You have to take action when kids make allegations like this and it's easy to judge, but then what do we do when it's turns out to be a lie? " omygoodness wrote on Jan 20, 2008 3:29 AM: " Tisha , he was held accountable, he lost his career and his name was drug through mud for the last 2 years, cmon tisha , the defendant was not stallking people as a teacher at school, geessssshhhh " omygoodness wrote on Jan 20, 2008 3:26 AM: " you seem to have a lot of facts anotherview , then why do you not know that the family did not press charges the prosecuting attorney's office did ? hmmmmmmm and why was the victim laughing and smirking during the trial , ok go ahead and say thats what people do when they are nervous , I said in all of my posts before guilty of unprofessinal conduct but that does not mean they had sex. She did not have anything to gain in this trial but when the pros att. 's office pursues you have to defend your story. Bravery to prevent this from happening to another child? Wow thats something else , " Sigh wrote on Jan 20, 2008 1:27 AM: " Boxergal, your comments are implying that ONLY female teens cause drama...if that's what you honestly believe you are more naive than anyone you have met. Females are not the only ones causing drama. Horomones raging, not only in females through highschool, but also males. Yes it does take 2 to tango.....but saying that this female targeted him, is just absurd. A grown man, should have the strength to say "No" to a teenage girl trying to come on to him. I'm not suggesting anything happened, I have no opinion on this subject. I haven't followed the case close enough to fully make a decision without having doubts on the other end. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 10:26 PM: " Actually, I look at this as a great opportunity to talk to your teens and young adult son's. Tell them the consequences of all of this. Prison time is not fun nor is the life of a rape victim. I don't think some teens and young adults understand statutory rape. This man should have, "if" he was guilty of what he was charged with. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 10:23 PM: " May I ask one question....if the parents nipped it, why did they not put a restraining order on this man? Just curious, you all seem to know so much. Frankly, except for a couple of posts, I think this is just gossip. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 10:16 PM: " And yes, MO smart. Check your kid's cell phones and their myspace (and their rooms). It works both ways, I understand, I am truly not judging this girl. No one knows except him and the girl. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 10:12 PM: " No, I know they are all not alike, thank god. But there is a flip side to girls being chased by men, trust me. And again, if this is what happened, its not a game. And again, I have to tell you that straight A's mean nothing when it comes to how kids act, they can still get into trouble and act silly. And no, they are not all into drama but trust me, a lot live for it. Take a gander at myspace sometime, its enough to make your hair curl. " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 19, 2008 10:00 PM: " I am not saying she was a bad person... she was very nice but almost too nice like she tried to hard and wanted everyone to look at her like she was superior over everyone else. But i do want to say THAT IS MY PERCEPTION OF HER of course. I just can say I truely believe she lied so hard she couldn't go back and say the truth bc she didn't want people to hate her and call her a liar. This prediction of mine actually fits her and her personality " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:57 PM: " Another thing, I just came from my friends house where i have been several times within the last 4 years she has had it and i cant honestly tell you where specific things are in her house. I know the general layout but that is it and guess what I was a straight A student also so I can remember stuff quite well. Seems like to me this girl has been breaking and entering or doing some heavy spying through windows. Too bad they couldn't catch her looking through the windows.. But then again It really is something she would probably do she is just that type of person.. " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:53 PM: " Come on mosmart... She obviously was obsessed with him, she knew when he was out of town with his team maybe she went in his house while he was away.... Could have happened. And look at it this way You can remember the house and where rooms are (which you can see through windows from outside keep in mind) but you cant keep the dates straight when you supposeably had sex with him, cant even remember what correct month it was in. " mosmart wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:51 PM: " This girl also was an A student but mom and daughter nipped it before it got out of hand, Thank the good Lord. The coach said it was not him can even atmit he has a problem with little girls.
Boxergirl I am sorry about your son but all girls are not the same and Drama is not what they are all about. " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:47 PM: " Actually no i dont know what happened to that prosecutor.... but I know about our prosecutor..... I wont reelect him for sure. Not because he lost the case... he lost it because it didn't happen... but it sounds like to me he wasted his time and our money on this case when it should have never been filed in the first place. The prosecutor had no evidence just text messages between these two. Thanks for wasting money Mr. Prosecutor " mosmart wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:46 PM: " I am not taking any sides but......
jccitizen35-You are wrong a lot of people can not remember dates it is a known fact and if she was inside she would know the layout that does make sence. anotherview-I like what I hear from you although I know little about this school aged child you can not label them all the same. Drama oh yea lots of adults just live for it too. It is sad but I know of another local town where a mother found a lot of text messages on her dauhters phone from the coach. Parents check your bill then check those numbers see who they are from and confront your child if need be. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:40 PM: " This reminds me of the Duke LaCrosse case. And you all know what happened to that prosecutor. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:36 PM: " Yep, like I said, drama, pure drama. And I have to say something....just because someone makes straight A's does not mean they can't get caught up in something like this. As far as them getting anything out of it, there is nothing to gain. Its just something these young girls get caught up in. At that age they are boy crazy. Some go after older ones. The one that went after my son admitted she only liked older guys. This is every man's nightmare if he is innocent. Statutory rape is a charge not to be taken lightly. If this was a game to this girl, she needs help. " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:19 PM: " and she has always lied and had always felt she had to be better than her friends. She specifically told me when the rumors had been going around that they were all false, that she did think he was cute, but he was always there for her in regards to helping her with her class work. He was the best teacher she had ever had. She got caught up in her lies and had to keep telling them bc her boyfriend was with her when she first talked to the police and she didn't want to look like a liar again to him and loose him as a boyfriend. During the time she told him They were on the rocks! " jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 19, 2008 9:15 PM: " Do you all understand that this man was aquitted FOUND NOT GUILTY, you all said he changed his story numerous times, he is the only one that kept his story the same the entire year. The girl changed her story 3 times, someone that can draw a house to scale but cant remember dates she said the incident happen Something is wrong with that. ITS BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! She had to change her story bc she kept forgetting her lies she would tell to the first person so she would have to make new ones up. If you all dont remember when this first happened I commented that i knew the girl, " tisha624 wrote on Jan 19, 2008 8:45 PM: " As a student of Mr. Roark's at the time of the relationship, I feel extremely betrayed. I was suppossed to be in a safe place and obviously was not safe even within the walls of JCHS. I am now a college student studying to become a teacher myself. There is a code of ethics that a every teacher takes when accepting a teaching possition. He broke this code of ethics. I believe that Mr. Roark should be held accountable for actions. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 7:55 PM: " Thank you for explaining more, I appreciate both sides being told. " anotherview wrote on Jan 19, 2008 6:48 PM: " Mr. Roark changed his story numerous times. Ex: saying she was only in his garage, to saying on the stand that she entered the front door one time as well. If so, how could she have known the exact layout of his home and details of items in the home? Hmm.. Another witness was called back to the stand and his testimony caught Mr. Roark in a lie. What did this child have to gain by bringing these charges? She was an almost A student. She was brave enough to risk everything to keep this from happening to another child. Is this the type of person we want to trust our children with? I know I don't. His day of reckoning will someday come. " anotherview wrote on Jan 19, 2008 6:33 PM: " As was said before, just because he was found not guilty, doesn't mean he didn't do it. At the beginning of this case, a lie detector test was administered to the young lady and she PASSED it with flying colors. Mr. Roark refused to take a lie detector test. Hmm...I wonder why? As far as the time it took for her to report this incident, this child was going through pure hell, going from bouts of denial & depression to the point of praying each night that she wouldn't wake up the next morning. Only after constant probing from her boyfriend did she finally admit what happened. It was never mentioned that there were over 4000 text/phone messages between her and Mr.Roark...Homework?? I think not.. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 5:47 PM: " Is all of this just here say? I mean her word against his? No records of any of the texting. How do you fight this stuff? " omygoodness wrote on Jan 19, 2008 3:59 PM: " I doubt contersueing has very good odds because the defendant did conduct himself unprofessionaly to lead to these allegations , and the pa's office has the evidence for probable cause and allegations " omygoodness wrote on Jan 19, 2008 3:56 PM: " stop... your right the things aldewitt mentioned does not mean it did not happen, but when you add in the facts that the parents did not press charges the pros attorney did ( whom I might add was his 1st big case when he took over to make a name for himself) no other friends of the defendant were willing to testify , the defendant changed her stories several times in last 6 months, and there being no physical evidence to prove this accept that a jilted teenager said so, it leads to acquittal . Sounds like guilty of maturity and lack of professional ethic , and fore that his job is gone and he puthimslf in a bad spot for these allegations " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 1:59 PM: " aldewitt - thats real interesting. I remember being a the hair salon the day they charged this guy. I also remember what "fodder" it was for some of the young girls in there. I can't help but think this is a fairly goodlooking young gentleman and the young girls have a crush on him. I feel so extremely sorry for this man's parents. I know I greyed quite a bit going through something like this. Oh and there is always a boyfriend out in left field that gets involved. More drama. I was told by the Prosec. Attorney in Callaway that the courts are full of this stuff and its a waste of the taxpayers money. " stop wrote on Jan 19, 2008 1:51 PM: " aldewitt, I would not consider that to be evidence of it not happening. It dosn't appear to be the case here but girls get pretty messed up after a rape, they blame themselves and are scared and ashamed. They just hope it all goes away. " aldewitt wrote on Jan 19, 2008 1:14 PM: " The best evidence nothing happened was that the girl never reported it to her parents, the school, or the police for more than a year and a half. It only got reported when "big brother" intercepted an email, and the cops called the girl in. Having lied to her boyfriend, she had to save face by continuing the lie. One thing led to another, and charges were filed.
I blame the prosecutor here. There was never enough evidence to support a conviction for anything, and after hearing closing argument in the courtroom, I'm left convinced that the prosecutor couldn't sell a bottle of water to a thirsty man in the desert. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 1:10 PM: " OH yea, and the texting???? Delt with that too. My god, my phone bill was outrageous. All from a young girl texting my son. DRAMA and texting. Texting and drama. UGH. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 1:06 PM: " What I found interesting was Mike Beasley saying he never saw this girl at Mr. Roarks home. I would say that probably helped in acquitting him seeing that the girl stated she was over there a lot. What a mess and what a shame this man had to go through this. I am just glad I wasn't on this jury. I was on one in Callaway where a girl claimed her boyfriend beat her. Didn't happen. DRAMA. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 1:02 PM: " Yea, I know stop. What a mess we had on our hands. You would NOT believe it. Actually, it started when the girl was 16 (through a work relationship). It was a joke, complete with keying of my son's car. Lord, I am glad I have a grown kid, I couldn't cope with that stuff again. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 1:00 PM: " The more I read this, the madder I get. This girl was creating one thing and I have seen it before....DRAMA. They live for it. Its worse than watching a daytime talk show. " daddysgirl wrote on Jan 19, 2008 12:59 PM: " good grief it says he was aquitted and still has his licences to teach in missouri. i would say that he could apply at any school and get a job. he wasnt charged with anything, jc schools should hire him back " stop wrote on Jan 19, 2008 12:58 PM: " One thing about a 17 year old she is legal in Missouri. Not saying it ok, just saying its legal. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 12:54 PM: " what a shame his career is ruined. I was told that the Public School system needs male teachers as role models. I am thinking this would put off any male to want to teach around here. Just my opinion, but I think they are targets. " boxergal wrote on Jan 19, 2008 12:53 PM: " I find this disturbing to say the least. But probably not how everyone else does. We had a problem with a young girl and my son. Have you all ever been around 16 to 17 year old girls???? WOWZA. It takes two to tango, like the old saying goes. I know nothing about this gentleman but makes me count my blessings that my son decided not to be a teacher. I just think that anymore, they are targets. Again, not saying he isn't guilty, just saying we had a little problem with a 17 year old chasing my son. You have to understand what some of these kids are like now. What a shame his... " stop wrote on Jan 19, 2008 12:27 PM: " Wow, God only knows what’s going on for sure. This article make Roark look like the teacher we all hope our kids get for classes. If he is this all is a damn shame, if he isn’t it’s all a damn shame. Since the jury acquitted him we have to assume they heard all of the evidence and made the correct decision. " |
To add your comments you must be registered and logged in |
RSS
jccitizen35 wrote on Jan 30, 2008 10:06 AM: