Sex Abuse Charges Against Essex Gym Teacher Dropped

ESSEX, MD — A total of 22 charges linked to a sex abuse case involving an Essex gym teacher accused of inappropriately touching two students were recently dropped, court records show.

The charges were pulled Friday by the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office after prosecutors determined the strain of a trial would harm the mental health of the students, as both would have had to testify more than once.

Circuit Court Judge Dennis Robinson Jr. ruled on Jan. 20 that the case would be split into two separate trials because it could be prejudicial should the teacher stand trial for both cases at the same time, The Banner reported.

Related: Deep Creek Middle Teacher Arrested On Sex Offense Charges: Police

Roger Myers of Towson, who worked at Deep Creek Middle School in Essex, was initially hit with six charges in May, but saw those counts balloon when his case moved from Maryland's District Court to the Circuit Court.

A grand jury returned an indictment in June that included 11 felonies and 11 misdemeanors. It included the following charges:

• Five counts of sexually abusing a minor
• Two counts of sex offense third-degree helpless/impaired individual
• Six counts of fourth-degree sex offense-sexual contact
• Five counts of second-degree assault
• Four counts of third-degree sex offense

Seven of the counts were related to one student, while 15 charges were connected to the other student.

Related: Essex Teacher Touched Students, Said They Have 'Nice Figure': Charges

Charging documents previously obtained by Patch indicated Myers had made inappropriate remarks and gestures to two girls who attended the Essex school. Court papers say the offenses happened between August 2024 and February 2025.

In one incident, one girls said Myers gave her a prolonged hug and got an erection before squeezing her chest. That student repeatedly missed school to avoid Myers' unwanted attention.

The other girl also reported that Myers rubbed her shoulders, and that he went so far as telling her that he would open the tennis area if she kissed him. She also indicated that she could feel Myers' erection when he gave her at least two hugs.

Assistant State’s Attorney Zarena Sita told The Banner that the prosecution's decision was made after discussion with both students, their families and mental health professionals.

Myers has maintained his innocence throughout the court proceedings, having filed a lawsuit against the Baltimore County Public Schools and Superintendent Myriam Rogers.

He alleged that the school decided to fire him after his retirement had already taken effect, according to The Baltimore Sun. Myers worked for the Baltimore County Public School system since 1996.