Ex-Aurora physics teacher pleads guilty to sex assault on student

A former physics teacher at Metea Valley High School in Aurora pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student at a Naperville hotel.

Robert C. Smith, 28, will be sentenced to six years in prison under the terms of a plea agreement accepted by DuPage County Judge John Kinsella. He also must register as a sex offender for life.

Prosecutor Mike Pawl said Smith was in a “position of trust, supervision and authority” when he took one of his female physics students to a Naperville hotel and engaged in a sex act in September 2010. The hotel was about two miles away from Metea Valley.

Smith confessed and wrote a letter of apology to the victim, then 16, and her family after he came under investigation, prosecutors have said. The victim also acknowledged the relationship.

Pawl described Smith as “cooperative” during the investigation. Thirteen supporters, including Smith’s church pastor and several family members, attended Thursday’s hearing.

“It was a very difficult case because it’s a wonderful family,” defense attorney Brian Telander said.

Telander said Smith has agreed to a six-year sentence, which will be imposed at a May 1 hearing. Had he been convicted of multiple charges at trial, he would have faced a minimum 14 years.

Smith, of Mokena, had taught in Indian Prairie School District 204 since 2008 and previously worked at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora. School officials said he was immediately removed as a teacher after the allegations surfaced.

By law, Smith must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, or a little more than five years. He has been free on bond since shortly after his arrest in October 2010.