A Denver high school staffer and part-time athletic coach was cited last month on suspicion of trying to find sexually explicit images on two students’ — both girls — cellphones.
Kendall Robertson, 24, was cited May 14 with one count of invasion of privacy for sexual gratification, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
One of the girls said Robertson took her phone and looked through her images as she served an in-school suspension under his supervision, according to a probable cause warrant. The other told investigators Robertson scanned her photos when she went to him to talk about breaking up with her boyfriend, the warrant says.
Both girls told police they felt Robertson was invading their privacy and didn’t have permission to look at their phones.
Robertson, who worked as a restorative justice coordinator at Collegiate Preparatory Academy, has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, according to Denver Public Schools. He began that job on April 7, roughly a month before he was cited.
He began coaching for the district in November 2012.
“Due to the pending charge and internal personnel investigation, we cannot provide additional information in this matter,” said Douglas Schepman, a district spokesman.
The citation was first reported by KDVR-TV on Tuesday night.
According to the warrant, Robertson, after viewing an explicit video on one of the girl’s phones, showed her a cartoon of two people having sex captioned “best friends do real (stuff).”
He then showed her the cartoon and asked if they could be best fiends.
On the other student’s phone, Robertson allegedly found a photo of the girl clad only in a bra and then showed her the image.
“I would like to inform you that an employee at our school has been arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for viewing content on a student’s phone without permission,” Martha Gustafson, the Collegiate Preparatory Academy principal, wrote in a letter home to parents.
Robertson is due back in court Thursday for a bond reduction hearing.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or
