>>>>>>>>>> Charges Dismissed <<<<<<<<< Most threads where the charges are dismissed or the defendent is acquitted are removed from public view. I'm keeping this one in the Articles subforum because it is a classic example of stupidity on the part of the arresting officer & the prosecutors, who apparently have little or no understanding of what the First Amendment to our Constitution means. Thanks to their ineptitude, this man's career has been ruined, and he likely has incurred thousands of dollars in expenses. Mora teacher’s iPad photos lead to 17 felony charges A Mora High School English teacher and drama director has been charged with 17 felony counts of interfering with privacy of a minor after law enforcement discovered 114 photos of multiple juvenile females on the teacher’s school-issued iPad. Benjamin Curtis Rossow, 38, of Mora was charged July 27 with 17 felony counts of interfering with privacy of a minor. Mora schools placed Rossow on paid administrative leave May 12 following allegations of inappropriate conduct with a 16-year-old student. During an investigation, Kanabec County officers executed a search warrant for Rossow’s classroom computer, school-issued iPad and his personal cell phone which ... Continue reading... http://www.presspubs.com/kanabec/news/article_02591158-3623-11e5-8a46-132cec78f5ef.html
Mora Teacher Accused of Taking 114 Photos of Girls with School-Issued iPad An English teacher at Mora High School has been charged with 17 counts of interfering with privacy after police say he took more than 100 photos of juvenile girls with his school-issued iPad. The investigation began back in May after a mother called the ... Continue reading... http://www.kaaltv.com/article/stories/s3864951.shtml
Hard to see how these charges are going to stick unless the content crosses the line into child pornography or the photos were taken in a manner that clearly violates one's privacy (e.g. upskirt photography). Taking photos of what's plainly visible in a public space is a constitutionally protected activity, and no permission from the subjects (even minors) is required. Certainly there are disciplinary issues for the school district to pursue, but as a criminal case, unless there's something we don't yet know, this is likely to flop.
Minnesota Teacher Accused of Taking 114 Photos of Girls with School-Issued iPad MINNESOTA - An English teacher at Mora High School has been charged with 17 counts of interfering with privacy after police say he took more than 100 photos of juvenile girls with his school-issued iPad. The investigation began back in May after a mother ... Continue reading... http://www.wday.com/news/3807536-minnesota-teacher-accused-taking-114-photos-girls-school-issued-ipad
Minnesota Teacher Accused of Taking 114 Photos of Girls with School-Issued iPad MINNESOTA - An English teacher at Mora High School has been charged with 17 counts of interfering with privacy after police say he took more than 100 photos of juvenile girls with his school-issued iPad. The investigation began back in May after a mother ... Continue reading... http://www.wdaz.com/news/3807536-minnesota-teacher-accused-taking-114-photos-girls-school-issued-ipad
Mora Teacher Accused of Taking Photos of Girls Resigns The English teacher at Mora High School who is accused of taking more ... Thirty-eight-year-old Benjamin Curtis Rossow of Mora has been charged with 17 counts of interfering with privacy. The investigation began back in May after a mother called the ... Continue reading... http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3868956.shtml
Charges: Mora teacher sneaked sexual pics of girls in class, flirted with teen A Mora High School teacher used his school-issued iPad to take more than ... Benjamin C. Rossow, 38, of Mora, was charged in Kanabec County District Court on July 27 with 17 felony counts of interference with the privacy of a minor. Rossow was jailed ... Continue reading... http://www.startribune.com/charges-mora-teacher-sneaked-sexual-pics-of-girls-in-class-flirted-with-teen/320764981/
Charges Dismissed against Mora Teacher Accused of Taking Photos of Girls Charges have been dismissed against a Mora teacher accused of taking photos of girls. Judge Stoney Hiljus dismissed the 17 counts against 38-year-old Benjamin C. Rossow in late January, saying that the case lacked probable cause. Rossow was charged with 17 counts of interfering with privacy in July. He resigned his position as an English teacher. Rossow's lawyer, Sarah MacGillis, told KSTP that the photos were taken in a normal school setting and that the courts have consistently ruled that students don't have an expectation of privacy in school. "The pictures at issue are of regular students in regular dress," ... Continue reading... http://kstp.com/news/charges-dismissed-mora-teacher-accused-photos-girls/4043814/
What I wrote six & a half months ago: What the judge just did: What the accused's attorney said: The retards responsible for this botched arrest and prosecution need to find a new line of work. They've displayed a fundamental lack of understanding of our First Amendment.
Felony charges dropped Judge: Former teacher’s actions ‘reprehensible,’ but not criminal 10 Feb 2016 Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order Judge Stoney L. Hiljus, Tenth Judicial District The photos taken on the iPad were unprofessional, inappropriate, and given the nature of the initial investigation evince a deviant interest by Defendant in his young female students. But, taking pictures in a school setting is commonplace in today's society. It is common for students to have access to cameras on cellphones or other mobile devices throught the school day. Another student in the classroom or computer lab could have easily taken the same images as Defendant. This especially true since an iPad, based on its size alone is harder to hide than the cellphones many of the students are in possession of. A reasonable person in this environment would realize the possibility that a picture could easily be taken of them by anyone with a mobile device. All 17 felony charges of interfering with the privacy of a minor against former Mora High School English teacher Benjamin C. Rossow were dismissed Jan. 29 following the judge’s determination that Rossow’s actions were not criminal. The investigation: Rossow, 39, was employed at Mora High School as an English teacher, but was placed on administrative leave May 12, 2015 following allegations of inappropriate conduct with a 16-year-old student. During an investigation, Kanabec County officers executed a search warrant for Rossow’s classroom computer, school-issued iPad and his personal cell phone which were all sent to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) ... http://www.moraminn.com/news/felony...cle_8fca5220-d030-11e5-a765-5f6ffd278724.html
