Former Pella teacher avoids prison over sex crime

By Chris Baldus | cbaldus@charlescitypress.com

A former Pella, Iowa, band teacher was sentenced to a lifetime of supervision as a sex offender Monday morning in Floyd County District Court, but he was not sent off to prison.

Benjamin James Thompson, 32, of Ankeny, Iowa, pleaded guilty in January to one count of third-degree sexual abuse in exchange for having two other counts dismissed.

He traveled to Floyd County in 2011 to have sex with a 15-year-old Charles City girl at three sites, including a cemetery.

District Court Judge Gregg Rosenbladt on Monday sentenced Thompson to a suspended 10-year prison term and a suspended $1,000 fine as recommended in the presentencing investigation report. He will be on probation for five years with electronic monitoring.

The conditions of his probation include sex offender treatment and a mental health evaluation followed by counseling, and he must follow through on recommendations set forth.

He can’t have contact with anyone under the age of 17 without prior approval by the state.

By special sentencing guidelines, Thompson also will be under the supervision of the Iowa Department of Corrections for the rest of his life. He is eligible for parole, however.

He is also to register on the state sex offender registry.

A no contact order for his victim remains in place until April 4, 2021.

Restitution will be handled at a later date.

Neither the prosecution nor the defense received exactly what they requested at Monday’s hearing in terms of prison. Floyd County Attorney Rachel Ginbey recommended a 10-year prison term and maximum fine. Public Defender Susan Flander sought deferred judgement that would have allowed Thompson to have the conviction erased if he completes a period of probation.

Thompson’s victim made a statement at the hearing and asked that he receive the maximum sentence for his crimes that have left her struggling with anxiety, nightmares and sleeplessness. She also asked for an apology.

“I have no doubt he can continue to influence young girls,” she said.

Although people do not know her name, she and her family have suffered from community gossip and social media that engages in victim blaming and making other hurtful comments, she said.

He exploited her diagnosed “severe depression,” she said.

“None of this would have happened if he had not used the position of trust as an adult and broken the law,” she said.

She also said she is unable to make strong connections with people her own age and was forced to grow up sexually too quickly.

She did not look at Thompson as she left the witness stand.

Thompson made a statement at the hearing just before sentencing. He apologized to the victim and wished her the best in her recovery. He also apologized to his family, members of which sat behind him in the courtroom gallery.

Thompson said he was old enough to know better and that his “actions were very serious,” but at the time he was suffering from “self-image” problems and depression. He has since found a better path to dealing with those issues through exercising and marathon training, he said.

“I can be a productive member of society. I can live a good and prosperous life,” he said.

This was the only time such a thing has happened, he said, and it “won’t happen again.”

Thompson added that this crime has cost him his marriage and then a serious relationship, his career as a teacher and then his backup career as a coffee shop manager. And he suffers from depression and sleeplessness, he said.

Flander urged the judge to impart a deferred sentence noting Thompson’s age, education, skills — he plays 22 instruments — and compliant behavior since the case began. The law does not call for punishment, but rehabilitation, she said.

“Prison is not appropriate” in this case, but probation and treatment are, Flanders said.

Rosenbladt said a deferred judgment is not appropriate for multiple reasons, including the 12-year age difference between Thompson and his victim, the emotional damage caused to the victim, the travel and planning that it took to do the crime, and, with Thompson’s level of education and maturity, “This was something, a decision you had control over.”

“I believe it is more appropriate in this case to follow the recommendations of the PSI report,” he said.

The case began in May 2015, when the Pella Police Department contacted the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office about information from an interview about a possible sexual assault in Floyd County. The Sheriff’s Office found out that in the spring of 2011, Thompson had been “talking, texting and Skyping things in a sexual nature” with a 15-year-old girl from Charles City, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The 27-year-old Thompson drove to Charles City to meet the girl and on three occasions, he picked her up in his vehicle and drove to remote areas in Floyd County to have sex.

Thompson is also charged in Marion County with three counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee. The charges stem from events that occurred in Pella in the summer of 2014 involving a now graduated high school student. At the time, Thompson was employed as a band teacher by the Pella Community School District.