Former educator pleads guilty in sex case

TUCSON — A former Yuma County school official has entered a guilty plea to sexual misconduct charges involving children.

Tom Rogers pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Phoenix to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of possession of child pornography.

Rogers is a former superintendent of both Gadsden Elementary School District and of Tanque Verde Unified School District in Tucson. He resigned from Tanque Verde in June after he was arrested on charges he arranged to have sex with a teenager in Mexico.

Rogers was Gadsden superintendent for six years. In 1999 he quit his job and moved to Thailand, where he apparently bought a maintenance and cleaning franchise, according to a Sun article published at that time.

He had also served as the San Luis Middle School principal, and on both the Yuma Union High School District and Somerton School District governing boards. In a 1994 Sun article, Rogers said he had also worked at one time or other as a school custodian, school bus driver, sports coach, teacher and school cafeteria volunteer.

Federal officials allege Rogers used an online site to reserve a tour that was to include sexual acts with a teenage boy in Mexico. The online site was part of an undercover operation.

Rogers is set for sentencing in February. Prosecutors say he could get up to 30 years in prison.