Former Iowa teacher convicted of 16 charges of sexual misconduct toward students
A former western Iowa band teacher has been convicted of more than a dozen charges for sexual misconduct toward students.
Benjamin Work, 44, was found guilty of seven charges of sexual exploitation by a school employee, six counts of lascivious conduct with a minor, and three counts of indecent contact with a child. His sentencing is set for Oct. 20.
Work was charged in June 2022, and the court conducted a bench trial in June. On Wednesday, Judge Margaret Reyes announced her verdict, finding him guilty on all charges.
Teacher accused of groping students
According to court filings, Work was a music teacher at West Harrison Community School District. He also was responsible for extracurricular activities including marching band, choir and school plays.
In April of 2022, the school launched an investigation about whether Work acted inappropriately with a student after a teacher overheard a student talking about allegations. A parent also reported Work to law enforcement on April 21, 2022.
The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office began a sexual assault investigation while Work was placed on administrative leave.
Eight females who were students of West Harrison Community School District during the 2021-22 school year described similar experiences of Work’s inappropriate classroom behavior, including making sexual comments to his students and disclosing information about his sexual life in his marriage. They also said he made frequent requests that they remove articles of clothing during costume measurements for school plays, according to court documents.
Some of the students also testified Work would inappropriately touch them while he took their measurements.
Investigators found a camera with a memory card on Work’s desk that contained a recording of a female student changing into her costume, according to court documents.
Defense: fitting costumes part of Work's job
Work’s defense argued there was no evidence his conduct was sexually motivated, which is one of several elements the state had to prove to convict him.
Instead, defense attorney Michael Winter argued in court filings that Work’s actions were part of his normal job duties as a teacher and a play director.
Winter argued that the only evidence is that Work “attempted to measure for costumes that he was to make and then to fit those costumes,” something that the defense deemed a legitimate purpose within the scope of his job. He also argued that Work could have been unaware of any inappropriate touch during measurements due to “the lack of tactile sensitivity.”
Court finds Work's actions sexually motivated
The court disagreed that Work’s actions were part of his normal job duties, and found no legitimate reason for Work to engage in sexual banter with students, discuss his sexual relationship with his wife to his students and ask his underage female students to remove their clothing in front of him.
The court also found that Work’s conduct, including normalizing asking them to remove their clothing, normalizing sexual conversations with his students and watching some of the students changing, showed Work’s sexual intent.
Winter did not return a message seeking comment on the verdict.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former West Harrison teacher guilty of 16 counts of sexual misconduct
