SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- The superintendent of the Marcola School District faces a criminal charge that could cost him his license to teach in Oregon.
Walter R. "Rolla" Weber, 62, of Springfield, Ore., was one of
13 men cited for prostitution over the weekend as part of a sting conducted by the Springfield Police Department.
Prostitution is a class A misdemeanor in Oregon and carries a maximum one year sentence and $6,250 fine.
Oregon law requires superintendents to report when they believe a violation of the state standards for teachers have been violated. That includes conduct that occurs off school grounds and outside of normal school hours.
Weber self-reported a possible violation to the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) Monday morning, according to Melody Hanson, director of professional standards.
Because Weber is the district superintendent, responsibility for filing a report within the next 30 days falls to Lon Laughlin, chair of the Marcola School District Board of Directors.
KVAL News has not yet been able to reach Weber or Laughlin for comment.
"The quality of education won't be compromised during the investigation," Joel Bradford, principal at Mohawk High School, told KVAL News. "We intend to run school and keep things running as normally as possible."
Police told KVAL News that Weber was in his car when he tried to solicit sex from an undercover officer posing as a prostitute.
That is when police say Weber drove off and an officer in a marked police car moved in.
Sgt. Rich Charboneau said it's not uncommon for everyday people to get caught up in the illegal sex industry.
"We have professionals that we arrest, we have homeless come up on a bicycle, or walking," said Charboneau. "Some of them are street people, but others are normal everyday people who are partaking in this, and they're putting themselves in danger because they don't know who's getting in their car with them."
The news was hard for parents in the school district to believe.
"He always seemed to be an upstanding citizen, so I have a hard time believing it," said Amy Vlasak, a Marcola elementary parent. "He is hands on with the kids, and he gets in the classrooms and watches and makes sure everything is OK, and if you have a problem, you just go and talk to him."
Hanson said the Teacher Standards and Practicies Commission cannot comment on specific cases until an investigation is completed. She said the TSPC holds off on launching their own investigation in such cases until the court has completed the case.
Prostitution is one of the crimes that requires the TSPC to revoke an educator's teaching license, according to Oregon Administrative Rules.
If Weber is convicted of the charge, the commission would issue him a notice of opportunity for a hearing, Hanson said.
Related state laws and rules
ORS 167.007 Prostitution. (1) A person commits the crime of prostitution if:
(a) The person engages in or offers or agrees to engage in sexual conduct or sexual contact in return for a fee; or
(b) The person pays or offers or agrees to pay a fee to engage in sexual conduct or sexual contact.
(2) Prostitution is a Class A misdemeanor.
Complete ORS
OAR 584-020-0040
Grounds for Disciplinary Action
(1) The Commission will deny, revoke or deny the right to apply for a license or charter school registration to any applicant or educator who, has been convicted of any of the crimes listed in ORS 342.143, or the substantial equivalent of any of those crimes if convicted in another jurisdiction or convicted of attempt to commit such crimes as defined in 161.405. Evaluation of substantially equivalent crimes or attempts to commit crimes will be based on Oregon laws in effect at the time of the conviction, regardless of the jurisdiction in which the conviction occurred. The crimes listed in 342.143 are:
(kk) ORS 167.007 -- Prostitution
Complete OAR
