OXNARD : Teacher Convicted of Molesting Pupil

A former Oxnard school teacher has been convicted after two mistrials of molesting one of his former elementary school students.

Roger Brown, 54, a former Driffill Elementary School teacher, was convicted last week of 32 counts of sexual molestation and faces three to 70 years in state prison, said Assistant Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Kevin J. McGee.

Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11.

The jury convicted Brown of molesting a student for almost two years, beginning when she was 9. Brown had been tried twice on the charges, but the juries were unable to reach unanimous verdicts and mistrials were declared. Brown resigned from Driffill last year.

After the verdict was decided, Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch refused prosecutors’ requests to jail Brown, noting that the defendant had made all court appearences since the trial began two years ago.

Brown was freed on $20,000 bail with the added condition that he not speak to anyone 18 or younger without a responsible adult present, Deputy Dist. Atty. Matthew J. Hardy said.