From: Platte County Prosecuting Attorney "Eric Zahnd"
Date: December 9, 2009
Subject: Jury finds repeat sex offender guilty of possessing child porn
A registered sex offender who abused children over three decades faces up to 35 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of possession child pornography. Robin “Scott” Roggenbuck, 57, was convicted on December 8 of possessing images of child pornography on his home computer following a two-day jury trial in Platte County Circuit Court.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “Although the jury did not know this man had prior convictions, I hope their guilty verdicts in this case will put this defendant behind bars for the rest of his life. He is a dangerous child predator who must be stopped.”
Roggenbuck, a registered sex offender, was convicted of statutory sodomy in 1981. He was later convicted of multiple counts of child molestation in 1992.
Zahnd said Roggenbuck’s original offenses occurred in Washington State and victimized three children. |
Robin Roggenbuck
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In the Platte County case, jurors heard about a search warrant executed at Roggenbuck’s Platte City apartment on February 13, 2008. With the assistance of detectives assigned to the Platte County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Unit, Platte City Police officers seized Roggenbuck’s computer. An FBI employee assigned to the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory later found numerous pornographic images of young boys on the computer.
After deliberating for less than one-half hour, the jury found Roggenbuck guilty of five counts of possession of child pornography. Judge Abe Shafer set Roggenbuck’s sentencing for January 28, 2010.
Given Roggenbuck’s prior sex crimes, Zahnd’s office had charged Roggenbuck as a persistent offender, which increased his maximum possible punishment from 20 to 35 years in prison.
Zahnd said, ”Many people think possessing child pornography is somehow not a serious offense, wrongly suggesting that ‘it’s only pictures.’ This case clearly demonstrates just how wrong that is. Studies show that people who possess child pornography have often abused or will abuse actual children. We proved that is true of this defendant, and I am certain it is equally true of many others who possess child pornography but are able to hide evidence of their molestation of children.”
Roggenbuck has been held in the Platte County jail since his February 2008 arrest. Following the jury’s verdict, Judge Shafer increased Roggenbuck’s bond to $500,000 cash.
The case was investigated by the Platte City Police Department with the assistance of Platte County’s Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory. It was prosecuted by First Assistant Mark Gibson and Assistant Prosecutor Chris Seufert, who is the assistant prosecutor assigned to the Cyber Crimes Unit.
Eric G. Zahnd
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney
415 Third Street
Suite 60
Platte City, Missouri 64079
(816) 858-3476
(816) 858-3472 (fax)
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