BELLEVUE, Wash. — A Bellevue teacher was charged Thursday with molesting a special education student earlier this year, according to court documents.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said Robert Maurice Scroggs, 73, faces first-degree child molestation charges after an 8-year-old girl alerted authorities. King County prosecutors said in charging documents that Scroggs allegedly molested the student between Jan. 22 and April 22.
Scroggs has a $100,000 bail in connection to the case and will have his first court arraignment on June 20.
According to charging documents, the 73-year-old is accused of molesting the victim at a Bellevue elementary school for several months.
The girl's teacher noticed she was engaging in explicit behavior in class. When the girl's mother asked her about it, she said Scroggs touched her. The information was reported to the school and the principal contacted the Bellevue Police Department to start an investigation into the case.
"We are writing to inform families of allegations of misconduct against a student by a substitute special education teacher. The Bellevue Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation of Robert Scroggs, who was recently arrested on allegations of child molestation," the Bellevue School District (BSD) said in a letter to families. "We reported the allegation to the Bellevue Police Department immediately upon receiving it and placed Mr. Scroggs on administrative leave."
The BSD said Scroggs worked as a substitute at Newport High School from 2002 through 2012. He also served as a substitute at Newport Heights, Somerset, Ardmore, Phantom Lake Elementary, Tyee Middle School and the Evergreen Transition Center during the 2023-2024 school year, the district said in its letter.
After he was arrested Scroggs was placed on leave by the district for policy regarding "maintaining professional boundaries."
If Scroggs posts bail, prosecutors requested that he be placed in home detention with an electronic GPS monitor.
"We take allegations of inappropriate conduct very seriously, and we are cooperating fully with our partners at the Bellevue Police Department during this investigation," the BSD continued in its letter to families. "We recognize that parents will be understandably deeply concerned about these allegations. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the administrative team at your child’s school. If you have information to share about the investigation, please contact the Bellevue Police Department by dialing 9-1-1 or the NORCOM non-emergency line 425-577-5656. You can also contact Detective Zhong Zhu at zzhu@bellevuewa.gov."