ASPEN, Colo.—A judge refused a plea of no contest from an Aspen yoga instructor accused of groping two of his students during classes.
Steven Jon Roger’s proposed plea was under an agreement with prosecutors that called for a two-year deferred judgment and two years on unsupervised probation and the state’s sex offender registry. But a Pitkin County judge rejected the plea deal Thursday, saying she doesn’t want to seem like she’s condoning a serious allegation.
Roger’s attorney says Roger sought a plea deal to move on with his life but that he would deny the allegations if the case goes to trial.
A trial was set for next week but it has been put on hold while Roger’s attorney considers the judge’s recommendation that Roger undergo a pre-sentence investigation and a psycho-sexual evaluation.
———
Information from: The Aspen Times,
