BENSON — Emotions ran high, and a somber atmosphere was present in a packed Swift County courtroom Thursday morning as parents, members of the Benson community and friends and family of Roger Joseph Ebnet waited for him to be sentenced.
A former second-grade teacher, Ebnet pleaded guilty in October to four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct for having sexual contact with male students in his Benson classroom. Judge Melissa Listug ultimately denied a motion from Ebnet's attorney Daniel Mohs, who asked the court to show leniency in its sentence and argued the year-old Ebnet is the perfect candidate for a stayed prison sentence and would be amenable to probation.
After hearing 13 victim impact statements — from students, parents and former students — and considering 23 letters on behalf of Ebnet from his friends and family, Listug ultimately sentenced Ebnet to months, or a little over nine years. That is the maximum amount of prison time within state guidelines on one of the four convictions. The decision came after more than two years of heartache for both the victims and their families as well as Ebnet's own family and friends.
According to the criminal charges filed in Swift County District Court, Ebnet was observed in a surveillance video recorded over two days in late , having sexual contact with three boys aged 7 and 8.
Ebnet was initially charged with three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct based on the video footage. Five other counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, and a separately filed criminal case regarding decades-old allegations brought forward by two adult males also was dismissed. Most of the alleged victims are still minors, but one of the adults read his statement to the court during Thursday's sentencing.
