Local man denies charges

Mark R. Madler

The lawyer representing a Burbank man accused of fondling two

students at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe Springs said his client

is saddened by the allegations.

Roger Alan Brooks, a band director at Santa Fe High School in

Santa Fe Springs, was charged April 26 with three felony counts of

lewd and lascivious acts with a child, and three misdemeanor counts

of sexual battery. The charges stem from complaints made in January

by a 14-year-old freshman and an 18-year-old senior who were Brooks’

students, Whittier Police Public Information Officer Alan dela Pena

said.

Brooks will deny the charges at an arraignment in July, his

attorney Richard Schwab said.

“He denies categorically any inappropriate conduct or touching of

any students,” Schwab said. “This case saddens him as he’s been an

outstanding teacher and a dedicated individual.”

Brooks, 39, has lived in Burbank for 12 years and is married with

two children, Schwab said.

The department conducted a two-month investigation, with

interviews of many students, before the charges were filed, dela Pena

said.

Investigators said they do not expect any other victims.

“No one else has come forward,” he said. “The district now wants

to make sure [the victims] are taken care of psychologically.”

Brooks turned himself in to Whittier Police on April 27. He is

free on $120,000 bond.

After the allegations were made, Brooks, who has been at Santa Fe

High School for seven years, was placed on paid administrative leave.

He was suspended without pay from the school after the charges were

filed, school officials said.

Whittier Union High School District Supt. Sandra Thorstenson did

not return calls for comment.