HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that a former band director at a Luzerne County high school was convicted this week of sexual assault for groping a student in 2019. The jury convicted Theron Roberts late Thursday afternoon of felony institutional sexual assault and corruption of minors, along with two misdemeanor counts of indecent assault. Roberts, 41, will be sentenced on Sept. 27.
“This defendant abused his position of power and invested time in grooming the student, obtaining their trust, before assaulting them,” Attorney General Henry said. “I applaud the jurors for their attention to this serious matter, and I admire the courage of the victim to come to court and face their abuser to ensure justice was served.”
According to testimony, Roberts was a band director at Crestwood High School at the time of the crimes. The victim first met Roberts in his role as band director when they were in seventh grade. Roberts’ sexual advances towards the victim escalated throughout the years.
Testimony revealed that Roberts touched the victim’s thigh during individual lessons, commented on the victim’s romantic relationship with another student, and touched the victim’s uniform around intimate portions of their body. Ultimately, Roberts’ advances culminated when the victim was in tenth grade when he pulled the victim to a secluded alcove, grabbed their buttocks, and threatened them not to tell anybody about the assault.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Julia van Leeuwen and Senior Deputy Attorney Lauren Eichelberger.