Former juvenile courts officer pleads not guilty to sex crime
Posted on Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Santos
A 50-year-old former Washington County juvenile court officer pleaded not guilty to felony charges of seconddegree attempted sexual assault during his arraignment Monday.
Robert Santos of Fayetteville is accused of making sexual advances toward a troubled 17-year-old girl he was assigned to help. The charge is a Class C felony punishable upon conviction by three to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 10, 000.
Santos was in a position of trust or authority over the girl as her juvenile court Families in Need of Services officer from Sept. 26, 2007, through May 22. He later hired her to work for his business.
Santos admitted to police that he may have touched her breast while tickling her, according to the affidavit for arrest. He also admitted to talking to the victim about his sexual prowess and said he intended to teach her how to make love to a man as opposed to being raped by one, the affidavit states.
Santos was terminated by the county prior to his arrest on Sept. 22, officials said. He was hired August 2007.
The accuser told police in September that Santos had been sexually harassing her. Santos initiated a series of text messages and telephone calls several months earlier, she told police.
Santos expressed intimate feelings toward her and said he’d dreamed about kissing her, she told police. He began asking her out on dates, she said.
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