WA special ed aide charged with raping deaf child over 5 years—since she was just 11-years-old

King County prosecutors charged Roberto Rodriguez with first, second, and third-degree rape of a child and communication with a minor for immoral purposes, according to charging documents. The alleged abuse spans December 2020 through January 2026, prosecutors said. Rodriguez is listed in the district’s staff directory as a paraeducator at Edmonds-Woodway High School. District officials said he has been placed on administrative leave and will be barred from district property.

The victim is a deaf student who communicates using sign language and text and has struggled with a hearing implant, authorities said. Rodriguez worked at her school beginning in her kindergarten year, and her parents later hired him for private tutoring twice a week when she was about seven, according to court documents obtained by Fox 13. Initially, tutoring sessions were described as routine and held in the family’s dining room. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the student’s grades slipped, Rodriguez allegedly urged her parents to move the sessions to a more secluded upstairs attic space so she could “concentrate.” Prosecutors allege that is when the sexual abuse began.

The case came to light in mid-January after the girl’s mother used her daughter’s phone to locate a misplaced device, investigators said. On Jan. 17, 2026, a message arrived from an unsaved number reading, “Going to zeeks,” prompting the mother to ask who was texting. The girl initially gave inconsistent answers.

Her mother then checked the girl’s linked iPad and discovered the number belonged to Rodriguez, authorities said. Investigators allege the parents found hundreds of sexually explicit messages exchanged over several years. Prosecutors said the messages included claims that Rodriguez had taken the victim’s virginity, discussion of future encounters, and a pattern of controlling and berating behavior when she did not respond quickly.

When confronted, the student became extremely distressed and began hurting herself, her parents told investigators. The family called 911, and the girl was taken to Seattle Children’s Hospital for an emergency mental health evaluation.

Edmonds police said the investigation began on Jan. 17, 2026, after the parents reported the messages. Police interviewed the student twice, prosecutors said, noting she ended the first meeting early. She told detectives the relationship began when she was about 10, and she was worried he would go to jail because she knew it was “against the law.” Detectives reviewed screenshots the parents saved from the messages and concluded they showed an “ongoing pattern of rape and abuse” over several years.

Police later arrested Rodriguez at his home and booked him into jail on suspicion of third-degree rape of a child and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, describing the inquiry as ongoing and noting investigators would look into whether other students may have been victimized. Rodriguez later appeared in court, where a judge set bail at $750,000. He posted bail and was released under conditions that include electronic monitoring and a prohibition on contact with minors, according to the information provided. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A spokesperson for the district said officials understand the allegations are alarming and emphasized that student safety is the district’s highest priority.