A 20-year old swimming instructor at Centegra’s Crystal Lake Health was arrested last May for fondling two young boys he was teaching. The following press release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office tells of his conviction:
SWIM INSTRUCTOR FOUND GUILTY OF FONDLING TWO STUDENTS
Rock J. Burman
Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney, announces that Rock Burman, 21 years old, of McHenry was found guilty on Friday, March 25, 2011, by a jury of two counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, resulting from the fondling of two small boys during swim lessons.
The evidence at trial revealed that the defendant had touched two different boys during their swim lessons.
Immediately following the lesson, one of the young boys told his father of the encounter.
That disclosure led to the investigation and discovery of another victim.
Neither of the boys knew each other and their disclosures regarding the abuse were almost identical.
Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, a Class 2 felony, carries a possible sentencing range of probation to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The defendant will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
This case was investigated by Detective Nystrom of the Crystal Lake Police Department and prosecuted for the State by Assistant State’s Attorneys Jessica Carrier and Sharyl Eisenstein.
The case is set over for sentencing until May 20, 2011.
There is no evidence (all hearsay) there were other people in the pool area and in the actual swim class. There were parents watching the lesson, other kids in the class, there were lifeguards on deck…
The Crystal Lake PD during the course of their investigation never even contacted one person that was out there during these swim lessons.
What is happening to Rock could in fact happen to anyone of us. Whenever there are words being flung about and no evidence, lawyers must use whatever means to sway a jury (shame on you).
I can understand people’s need and desire’s to put away molesters and I agree. I however have issues when there is a witch hunt mentality and all someone has to do is point the finger and poof they have a million dollars in their bank account (believe me this had everything to do with money).
This is and will continue to be about MONEY and what these parents can hope to obtain financially from Centegra.
EVERYONE who knows Rock knows he is innocent. That nothing was even remotely proven and in fact showed that it was impossible, the states attorneys relied on emotion…”there’s no evidence but what if it did happen, we can’t let another one walk out the door”.
Unconstitutional.
How can someone be guilty of a crime they were never proven of? That to me doesnt make sense. Go ahead and point fingers at the innocent one when the ones to blame are the phoney money seeking parents of the children!