WA paraeducator charged with child rape of student

EDMONDS, Wash. - An Edmonds, Washington paraeducator has been charged with raping a student he tutored for several years, beginning when she was just 11 years old.

King County prosecutors have charged 47-year-old Roberto Rodriguez with first-, second- and third-degree child rape, and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. The charges stem from a five-year stretch when Rodriguez is believed to have groomed and raped one of his students.

Rodriguez is listed in the Edmonds School District staff directory as a para-educator at Edmonds-Woodway High School.

The victim is a deaf girl who uses sign language and text to communicate, and has struggled to use her hearing implant. Rodriguez was a paraeducator at her school beginning her kindergarten year, and by the time she was seven, the girl's parents hired Rodriguez for private tutoring twice a week.

Edmonds, WA paraeducator accused of child rape

Timeline:

According to charging documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle, everything began above board, and the two would study in the dining room. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the girl's grades suffered, and Rodriguez convinced her parents to let them study in an upstairs attic space so she could concentrate.

Prosecutors allege this is when the sexual abuse began, when the victim was around 10 years old.

Her parents told investigators there were several suspicious instances between the victim and Rodriguez, which were chalked up to simple misunderstandings. On Jan. 17, 2026, her mother lost her phone, so she picked up the girl's phone to call it, when a message came in from an unsaved phone number, saying: "Going to zeeks."

The mother asked the girl who it was, and she said it was one of her friends, but then said it was a different friend.

The mother checked the girl's linked iPad and found the number belonged to Rodriguez, and she uncovered hundreds of sexually explicit messages between the two, dating back several years. Charging documents show that, in them, Rodriguez boasted about taking the victim's virginity, plotted future sexual encounters, exhibited controlling behavior and berated her for not answering his messages fast enough.

WA teacher showed ‘ongoing pattern of rape and abuse’

What we know:

The girl's parents confronted her about the messages, and she became extremely upset and started hurting herself.

Her parents calmed her down, talked with her, called 911 and eventually had her checked into Seattle Children's Hospital for an emergency mental health evaluation.

Police interviewed the victim twice, as she walked out of the first meeting. She explained to investigators that she and Rodriguez began a relationship when she was 10, and she was worried he was going to jail because he knew what they were doing was "against the law."

Detectives also reviewed dozens of screenshots her parents took of the messages between her and Rodriguez, determining it showed an "ongoing pattern of rape and abuse [of the victim] since she was a small child." They also determined there was clear evidence that Rodriguez, who is more than 30 years the victim's senior, was consistently raping her for nearly five years.

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Suspect Roberto Rodriquez in court on Tuesday. (FOX 13 Seattle)