A former Washington, Iowa mayor was placed on probation and served a deferred judgement after pleading guilty to inappropriately touching a customer at a bar he owns and operates.
Jaron Rosien turned himself in after being charged with one felony count of sexual assault in January 2023. The accusation followed an encounter between him and another man identified in court documents only as A.B., a 27-year-old who was an enlisted member of the U.S. military at the time.
Rosien pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, an aggravated misdemeanor in May. The maximum penalty for an aggravated misdemeanor is two years in prison.
On July 11, the Washington County District Court sentenced Rosien to two years’ probation, deferring the punishment. He will avoid jail time if Rosien doesn’t violate the law during his probation.
In his guilty plea, Rosien admitted that he “consumed a significant amount of alcohol” on the night of the incident, had “offensive physical contact with A.B.,” and did so with “the intent to have physical contact” with “a sexual purpose.”
Surveillance footage showed ‘unwanted contact’ from mayor
The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations brought the charges against Rosien. The case was referred to the DCI because of the potential conflict of interest with the Washington Police Department investigating its mayor.
A.B. and “his associates” entered J.P.’s 207 on Jan. 7, 2023, and played several games of pool. At one point, they were approached by Rosien, who A.B.’s associates identified as the owner of the bar and the then mayor of the town of more than 7,000.
Rosien allegedly allegedly groped the male patron without consent.
Rosien did not admit to or deny touching A.B. and told DCI investigators that “due to his own level of intoxication, (he) could not recall” what happened.
Rosien ‘deeply regrets’ conduct
Eric Tindal, Rosien’s attorney, said in a statement shared with the Press-Citizen that he was “thankful” for the judge’s decision to defer the judgment.
“Jaron deeply regrets the pain that resulted from the events of Jan. 7, 2023, and the sadness and stress that resulted from that night’s events,” Tindal wrote.
Tindal wrote that Jaron “takes responsibility for his actions that night” and will continue to do so by complying with the court’s orders and adhering to the terms of his probation. Rosien “continues in his desire to learn, and improve, as an individual,” his attorney wrote.
“Although it is a secondary consideration, Jaron also wants to apologize to his community, family, friends, and his husband for the disappointment and pain he has caused to them individually and collectively,” Tindal wrote. “While the victim’s pain is foremost in Jaron’s mind, he recognizes his lapse in judgment has hurt many others as well.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Former Washington mayor sentenced to probation for assaulting a patron at his bar in 2023
Reporting by Ryan Hansen, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
