A former Cottonwood High School teacher will spend a year in jail for having a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old student.
Corbin Vance Robinson, 38, pleaded guilty in March to a single count of third-degree felony sexual abuse of a minor student. He was originally charged with nine counts, but the remaining eight were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
In court papers, Robinson admitted to having sexual contact with the girl on one occasion last October. The student had told police, however, that there were multiple encounters from October to December of last year.
In a police interview, Robinson admitted to talking about sex with the victim on social media, and said he had given the girl rides home from school. He also admitted that the student had touched his genitals, according to charging documents.
Before a 3rd District Court judge sentenced him to a year in jail for the crime on Friday, Robinson apologized to the victim and her family.
"It's with great humility that I'm here today to take accountability for my actions," he said. "There's no excuse for what I've done. I completely understand that I was the adult in the situation and I should not have let this get to where it did."
The victim was in court on Friday, but did not speak during the hearing.
Robinson's attorney, Nathan Crane, told the judge that his client was depressed and developing an alcohol problem at the time of the crime after his wife took a job in Florida and they continued their relationship long-distance. His attorney said that since his arrest, Robinson has been sober and has attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Granite School District officials said that Robinson was in his first year as a full-time teacher when the sexual contact occurred, and had been employed for only about three months before he was arrested in December. He resigned from his job that same month.
jmiller@sltrib.com
Corbin Vance Robinson (Salt Lake County jail photo)
