A Madison Heights man who formerly served as a coordinator in the Amherst County Public Schools Alternative to Suspension Center was found guilty Monday of two criminal sex offenses involving a minor.
Robert Lonnell Adams, 43, of Madison Heights, pleaded no contest in Amherst Circuit Court to one count each of carnal knowledge of a minor and indecent liberties with a child under age 15. The offenses did not involve any child at ACPS during Adams' employment with the division and took place from 2003 to 2013, according to the indictments.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Adam Stanley has said the person who brought forward the allegations, a minor at the time of the offenses, now is an adult. Details of the inappropriate sexual contact were "very disturbing," Stanley said at a previous hearing.
Stanley said an Amherst County Sheriff's investigator was dispatched to a counseling center in Lynchburg prior to Adams' Jan 4. arrest to interview the victim. The sexual abuse occurred regularly for a decade, Stanley said in summarizing the evidence.
The victim supports the plea deal and her main goal in coming forward years later is to make sure no else is abused, Stanley said.
"Her main goal was to have him register [as a sex offender] … and not be a threat to anyone moving forward," Stanley said.
Jim Gallagher, chief of human resources for Amherst County Public Schools, has said Adams began employment with the division in the fall of the 2018-19 school year in a coaching capacity. Adams was hired as an at-risk coordinator for the division’s Alternative to Suspension Center on Feb. 1, 2019 and no longer is employed with the division, according to ACPS officials.
Adams’ family testified at a previous bond hearing he is a former football standout at William Campbell High School who played defensive end at Virginia Tech and has a history of working with at-risk youth.
Chuck Felmlee, Adams' attorney, said the defendant has no prior criminal record and turned himself in when he became aware of the arrest warrants. He described Adams as a coach, mentor and provider for his family.
The convictions will follow Adams for the rest of his life, have closed multiple career doors and brought embarrassment, Felmlee said.
"There are significant punishments that are coming to him as a result of this," Felmlee said.
Felmlee said Adams takes responsibility and told Judge Michael Garrett such offenses involving his client won't happen again.
"I do not anticipate seeing Mr. Adams ever again in a court setting," Felmlee said to Garrett.
Adams faced a maximum of 20 years on the two charges he was convicted of. According to the plea deal, he was sentenced to 15 years with all but three months suspended. Garrett credited Adams with time served, which Felmlee said was 42 days, leaving more than a month of active jail time remaining.
"These are difficult cases," the judge told Adams. "You are getting a good deal here."
As conditions of the sentence, Adams must be on probation for a 10-year period, register as a sex offender and not is ordered to not engage in acts of abuse, physical or verbal, toward the victim. Adams, who had been out on bond, was taken into custody Monday to begin serving the jail time remaining on the sentence.