Former Washington mayor avoids jail time in 2023 sexual abuse case

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 sentencing hearing in Washington Friday morning.

Rosien was charged in early 2023 with third-degree sexual abuse after being accused of making unwanted sexual contact with a person at Rosien’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 agreement. 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, the victim. “My desire to learn and improve, and take a step forward from this step back is what I want to convey today.”

More than a dozen support letters backed Rosien’s defense, speaking to his character and contributions to the community. They were submitted by business owners, paramedics, municipal officials from neighboring cities, and Millie Youngquist, who took Rosien’s place as Washington’s mayor after he resigned in 2024.

State sought 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.

In her arguments against a deferred judgment, Olson said Rosien assaulted the victim “openly and freely” in a public space, and noted Rosien had previously been convicted of public intoxication. She also said the assault had harmed the victim’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.”

Eric Tindal, Rosien’s lawyer, pushed back on those arguments, saying Rosien had replaced alcohol use 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.

Judge Mary Ann Brown said she found the defense’s arguments persuasive.

The deferred judgment means Rosien’s conviction of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse won’t show up 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.

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“There’s a public acknowledgment that you wronged another human being with that sex offender registry requirement,” Brown said at Friday’s sentencing. “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 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 that could impact Rosien’s business — JP’s 207, where the assault happened in 2023 — over the next two years.

Rosien apologizes to victim, community

In his statement to the court, Rosien said he was sorry his actions, appearing to become emotional at times. Brown, at one point, asked Rosien to address her instead of turning to apologize to the victim, 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 the victim. “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 arrest, Rosien was widely regarded as a powerhouse of local government, an active volunteer and a widely respected community member.

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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.

Rosien began an unpaid leave of absence from his elected office soon after the allegations surfaced, despite calls from council members to resign. The pushback grew as time passed, and he ultimately resigned amid complaints from council members who said his actions had damaged the city’s reputation, and that his long-running absence deprived Washington of stable leadership.

Numerous delays in the case — due to a change in prosecutors, schedule mishaps with Rosien’s lawyer and plea agreement discussions — drew out the case, at times frustrating other municipal officials.

Rosien acknowledged those collateral impacts at the end of his remarks Friday.

“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.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com