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Rosien gets deferred judgment
No jail time for former Washington mayor, who pleaded guilty in May to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WASHINGTON — Former Washington Mayor Jaron Rosien was handed a deferred judgment with two years of probation, as well as 50 hours of community service, a handful of fines, and a place on the state’s sexual offender registry at a long-awaited sentencing hearing in Washington Friday morning.
Rosien was accused in early 2023 of sexual abuse, after an anonymous accuser said Rosien had made unwanted sexual contact with him at the former mayor’s bar. Rosien pleaded guilty in May of this year to the lesser offense of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, as part of a plea deal. He told the court he struggled with alcoholism at the time of the incident, but had spent the years since seeking out therapy and other rehabilitative activities — and changed his bar’s business model — to adapt.
“I am taking responsibility for what happened, and continue to take responsibility for what happened,” Rosien said, during an apologetic address to the courtroom and, at one point, his accuser. “My desire to learn, and improve, and take a step forward from this step back is what I want to convey today.”
Over a dozen support letters backed Rosien’s defense, speaking to his character and contributions to various community improvement efforts.
The documents were submitted by a handful of influential local voices, including business owners, paramedics, municipal officials from neighboring cities, and even Millie Youngquist, who took Rosien’s place as Washington’s mayor after he left office in 2024.
“The unfortunate incident in question should not be the only thing that defines Jaron’s character and his legacy,” Youngquist’s letter said. “In the past two years, he has undergone hours of self-reflection and soul-searching and has taken steps to lead a healthier, productive life. I hope that the Court will consider this letter as an indication of Jaron’s contributions to our community and our wish that he be able to continue to be a productive and contributing member of society.”
State sought a harsher sentence
Assistant Attorney General Nicole Olson, a state prosecutor appointed to the case, argued for a more severe sentence, saying Rosien should get 10 years of probation — and potentially be incarcerated — under special sentencing procedures in state law.
She later said Rosien assaulted the accuser “openly and freely” in a public space, and noted Rosien had previously been convicted of public intoxication, in her arguments against deferred judgment. She also said the incident in 2023 had harmed the accuser’s career, and caused him long-term emotional distress.
Olson said such a punishment “sends a message to the community, that this type of crime is not acceptable, that this type of harm to victims is not acceptable.” Later in her opening arguments, she added, “There is a concern from the state that this defendant is more worried about what he’s going to be able to do, rather than what he needs to do to correct the wrongs that he has done.”
Eric Tindal, Rosien’s lawyer, pushed back on those arguments.
He said the former mayor had spent the last several years fighting to recover from alcohol abuse, replacing it with other “pro-social activities” including pickleball, which the defense mentioned several times throughout the hearing.
“Part of learning to improve himself and manage himself and get sober is to do activities that are pro-social … if he’s on a special sentence, he’s not going to be able to experience those,” Tindal said. “In sobriety, those kinds of activities tend to be put in place of the activities that we had gotten used to when we were not sober, and they’re important. They’re important in terms of rehabilitation.”
Judge Mary Ann Brown said she found the defense’s arguments persuasive.
The deferred judgment means Rosien’s guilty plea for assault to commit sexual abuse won’t put a conviction on his permanent record, assuming he successfully completes the terms of his probation. His placement on the sex offender registry is lifelong, in theory, though state law includes some paths for an offender’s eventual removal from the list.
“There’s a public acknowledgment that you wronged another human being with that sex offender registry requirement,” Brown said at the hearing. “The sex offender registry affects where you can be, makes you accountable to law enforcement in every city or county where you’re going to live, and is a public acknowledgment to society that you’re a person who wronged another human being.”
While the sentence was less severe than what prosecutors requested, Brown said it was still serious, and cautioned Rosien that his deferred judgment could be revoked if he didn’t continue to meet its conditions.
She said probation officers could impose rules of their own, and potentially impact Rosien’s business — JP’s 207, where the assault happened in 2023 — over the next two years.
“I don’t know how they’re going to handle your bar, your restaurant, but you’re going to have to follow their rules,” Brown said. “If you don’t follow those rules, you’re going to be back in court on probation violation, and that deferred judgment can be revoked. And then, you will not only have a special 10-year sentence … you’ll go to prison.”
Olson and Rosien’s anonymous accuser declined a request for comments shortly after the hearing.
Rosien apologizes to victim, community
In his statement to the court, Rosien said he was sincerely sorry for the actions he took early one morning in January of 2023.
At times, the resigned city official appeared to choke up, or wipe a tear from his eye. Judge Brown at one point had to ask Rosien to address her, instead of turning to apologize to his anonymous accuser, who was seated in the courtroom.
“I read your victim statement this morning before coming to court, and I found it to be heartbreaking,” Rosien said to his accuser, whose name was redacted from court records to protect their privacy. “I deeply regret the pain that has resulted from the events of Jan. 7, and the sadness and stress that has resulted from everything that occurred that evening.”
Prior to his criminal charges, Washington’s former mayor was widely recognized as a powerhouse of local government, an active volunteer and a widely respected community member.
His time at the city’s helm was marked by landslide election victories and major municipal policy wins, including favorable negotiations with merging international railroads, the opening of a new city hall, police and fire station building, and navigating the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a response constituents generally considered reasonable.
His departure from public life was tumultuous, in comparison.
Rosien began an unpaid leave of absence from his elected office soon after the allegations first surfaced, despite calls to resign from some council members. The pushback grew as time passed, however, and he ultimately resigned as Washington’s top city official in February of 2024 amid complaints from council members who said his actions had damaged the city’s reputation, or that his long-running absence deprived Washington of stable leadership.
Numerous delays in the case — due to swapping prosecutors, schedule mishaps with Rosien’s lawyer and, at one point, settlement negotiations — drew out the drama for months, then years, at times frustrating other municipal officials.
With the saga appearing to reach a conclusion at last, Rosien acknowledged those collateral impacts at the end of his remarks during Friday morning’s hearing.
“As this is public, I do feel I need to publicly say I’m sorry for letting down our community, and my family, and my close friends, and my husband,” he said.
Many influential community members appeared sympathetic to the former mayor. The 19 publicly available support letters vouching for Rosien were written by noteworthy local names like Chamber of Commerce Director Michelle Redlinger, Brighton Mayor and Former Council Member Melvin and Cathy Rich, Washington YMCA CEO Amy Schulte, Hospice of Washington County Director Katrina Altenhofen, former Main Street Director Sarah Grunewaldt, and Wellman Fire Chief and former Washington County Ambulance Director Jeremy Peck.
Other names on the list were Randy Swift, Pam Green, Beth Swift, Jan Gallagher, Marianne Hanshaw, Marde and Joe McConnell, Dana Crawford, Patricia Dessner, Donald Klein, Lisa Horn, Cailee Wenger, Patty Elliott, and Jennifer Schebel, many of whom have made headlines before for their own community contributions.
In a written statement provided to The Union after the hearing, Rosien said he was “thankful” for the deferred judgment.
“It has been a long road, and it’s not over, but with this decision there’s a clearer understanding of the path ahead,” he said. “It has been and continues to be my goal to contribute to society in a meaningful way. While bittersweet, ultimately I hope and pray that this will lead to that.”
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
