No jail time for Hermiston woman who abused teens

No jail time for Hermiston woman who abused teens

Tools

By Associated Press

HERMISTON, Ore. (AP) — A teacher's assistant who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing teenage boys won't have to spend time in prison.

Following a plea bargain, Umatilla County Judge Garry Reynolds this week sentenced Roxana Mata to three years of probation on charges of rape and sexual abuse.

Mata, 23, must pay a $500 fine for each victim and can't have contact with children other than her own two kids and the one she is expecting. She must also perform community service, write letters of apology to her victims, take part in an alcohol program and register as a sex offender.

If Mata violates probation, she could be imprisoned for 30 months.

Hermiston police arrested Mata in June on suspicion of sex crimes involving two juveniles. She had worked less than a year as an educational assistant at Armand Larive Middle School in Hermiston. Prosecutors said it does not appear Mata met her victims through the school system.

The state later alleged she had three victims, the East Oregonian newspaper reported.

District Attorney Dean Gushwa said two of Mata's victims, who were 15 at the time of the abuse, did not want her sent to prison. One wrote a letter saying he loved her.


(Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.)

Icon
Current Temp 47.0 °F
Mostly Cloudy
More Weather

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

On Demand

Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV.

Viewer Poll

Were soccer player Elizabeth Lambert's violent acts worse than the punch Duck football player LeGarrette Blount threw?
Read more & join the discussion

  • Apples and oranges: The soccer game wasn't over
  • Poor sportsmanship is poor sportsmanship
  • Looks like soccer is the real football