Teacher Bragged About Having Sex With Student: Police

It's being alleged that she had sexual relations with a student. The life of a brand new teacher in Michigan has crashed and burned after prosecutors say she had sex with a 16-year-old. I didn't know how to say no, and I couldn't stop her. We'll show you her police interrogation, and you won't believe some of the excuses this teacher has to try to justify her actions. We're on the case presented by Law & Crime. Is your closet ready for summer? I used to dread shopping, hours browsing online, or fighting the store with no guarantee I'd find anything I liked. That's why Stitch Fix is my secret weapon. My stylist knows the trends and what actually works on me, then sends it straight to my door. Free shipping, free returns, no subscription needed. Get started today at StitchFix.com. That's StitchFix.com. I'm Chris Stewart. During the 2023-2024 school year, 25-year-old Jocelyn San Roman was riding high. She had a job teaching Spanish, she had a charter school in Oakland County, Michigan, and she was soon going to marry her fiancé. But now she is headed to prison. Now, everything came crumbling down when San Roman was getting drinks with a co-worker at Red Lobster, the restaurant. And there, she allegedly admitted that she had sex with a 16-year-old student. And that prompted an investigation into her conduct. And that investigation intensified when San Roman came to the sheriff's office herself in April of 2024. Investigators put her in an interrogation room. And there, they recorded her being questioned. I was notified of a situation involving you and another student. I'm sure that the officer told you that. Yes? Yeah. Okay. So I'm here to kind of talk to you about that. Are you willing to talk to me about it a little bit? Okay. So, do you know the student that's in question that we're talking about? Deputies had received reports that San Roman was involved with a 16-year-old boy, and it wasn't just hearsay. There was reportedly a sexually explicit video of San Roman that may have been sent to this underage victim. A school district liaison officer is the first to question San Roman and wants to know how her interactions with this victim started. Now, bits and pieces of the interrogation video, they are in the description below. They are muted, likely for privacy reasons, but you can hear how San Roman apparently rationalizes her actions. Just high and dealt with them during class, grade, stuff like that, normal student-teacher relationship? Yes. Did you ever speak with the outside of school, whether it be on social media, a cell phone, email? I did not reach out to Vincent. Okay, did he reach out to you? He did. A lot of people tried to, you know, DM, and a lot of kids were speaking wrongly and appropriately and in what context what do you mean like my test is so hard and they would send you that on social media or they would say that in school in school okay um so what did he so walk me through the first time that he reached out to you so on social media what app was it it was instagram i believe it was instagram and i had sent him oh he i couldn't send him a message because it was private so i sent his brother a message telling him like hey i can't add until you guys are 18 and you graduate so this was on instagram yeah so he he initially he initially asked you on instagram he he messaged you on instagram what did the message say i don't think it wasn't mentioned i think they were just trying to add me on this oh just trying to add him and his brother yes so you messaged his brother and so how did you walk me through how instagram works can So you messaged his brother? Mm-hmm. And so how did you. Walk me through how Instagram works. Can you message them even though you're not friends with them? I think some people. Like, you can. What are you friends with his brother? No, it's some, like, setting that you can put. That you can accept messages from people that are not your friends. Or not only friends can accept messages. So how are you friends with his brother? I wasn't. Some of you just somehow his went through, but his didn't? No. There's settings on there. So he had his setting where anyone can send a message, or only friends can send you a message, things like that. Did you ever text him? No. Did you ever call him? No. Actually, he. They had asked me for food. Still waiting in line? Again? That's time you'll never get back. Save time and money with Stamps.com. Over 4 million businesses have skipped the line with Stamps.com. Join them to save up to 90% off carrier rates from your computer or phone right now. Print postage for certified mail, registered mail, and packages in seconds. Then schedule a pickup right from your home or office. For a limited time, go to Stamps.com and use code PODCAST for a free welcome gift. Taxes and fees are free. The best holiday finds aren't always the ones you went looking for. At Ross, discover unexpected gifts, fashion, decor, and plenty of reasons to keep looking. Ross, expect the unexpected. Both of them had asked me for food. Anna's brother? Yeah. How? Um, I don't know. Did they text you? Did they message you? Did they call you on Instagram? Did they call you? No, it wasn't a message. I'm trying to think. Was it a telephone call? It was because they wanted my credit card number. So, what was that? Who was it? Was it Ross or was it Brother? Yes. Okay. How did you get your telephone number? Um, I think I gave it to them. You gave the students your telephone number? I did. Is that traditionally what you do with your students? It was literally my first time teaching. I had good intentions. It was not. It was not for anything else. So, during that time, you gave them your cell? When, was this during class, after class, at school? Sometime, I don't know. You don't remember? Yeah. I think it, it wasn't during class, but then I have them as a student. It had to be during testing or something, I'm sorry. So, how did that, so walk me through how that. He walked up to you and said, I need, well, let me get your cell phone number and how, talk me how he got your cell phone number. Absolutely. So, for this, they always asked me for food and it wasn't just like. Who? They always asked me for food or snacks, if I had anything in the classroom for them. I can get them McDonald's, things like that, and I, I just, I'm the type of person where I feel bad to say no, like when I can't get you the food or something like that. So, that's what that was. Okay. So, you, that doesn't explain how he got your number. How did, how did he get your number? Like I said, it was, it had to be during passing in class. Did he walk up to you and ask you or did you provide it? Did you say? Yeah, I think so. I'm not sure how, I wish I remembered exactly. You don't remember how he got your number though, other than. No, no. He asked. Yes, I believe so. Him or his brother. Asked for your cell phone number. Mm-hmm. And he provided it. He provided it to one of them. Mm-hmm. So then, fast forward, do they call you, you don't remember what day that was, that was springtime sometime, they call you asking for food. Once. Once. And then they ask for your credit card number. Did you give it to them? I did, and then I canceled my card and I got a new one. I was scared because every time like we had a conversation or something, I tried to play like it off, like whatever, and he just very, he was very consistent, he's like, you know, like, he's like, why not, and I came to him, and that really works for like, well, okay, like that's fine, where I can't, I just can't say no. And I did send him inappropriate pictures of myself, and that is what I told my fiance and the truth. So you did send him inappropriate videos and pictures? Did it go past that point? - Are you sure about that? - Yeah. He wanted me to obviously do other things. And I thought, I thought, I thought him, you know, leaving the school, you know, that I can just move on and not, you know, talk to this person and forget and just be able to live my life without obviously ruining it. But I have just made so many mistakes in my life. And this is the first time where you could say like, okay, like I'm getting in trouble for it. - Well, I appreciate you telling me the truth about that. But there's still, there's other things that are still floating around out there. And I need the truth on that too. Are we being truthful that it didn't go past just, 'cause you know, I started the interview, I asked you if there was times you felt like you were gonna be able to do something about it. And I asked you if there was times you messaged him and he told me no. - Yeah, 'cause it wasn't on text, it was Snapchat. - Snapchat, well, I asked you if it was social media. - I'm sorry. - That's okay, I'm not mad at you. So it was on Snapchat. How many videos did you send him? - It had to be at least five, 'cause I hate sending him, or he would've been like repeatedly like, hey, why not? Like, you don't know how to do it. There's no reason you can't. Overflown. - What's in those videos? - Me. - Just standing there as a picture. - This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just $15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song, like "All I Want". Right, okay, we can't afford that. You know what, forget the music budget. We're gonna stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch. - Upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for a 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent, taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only, greater than 50 gigabytes, may slow when network is busy. See terms. - Some personality quirks are really funny. Like, I talk to my left foot more than I talk to my right. You know what's not funny and not a personality quirk? OCD. Although the term OCD is widely recognized, it's misunderstood by most people. It doesn't mean being tidy or clean. It's having obsessive fears, thoughts, and urges You question your character, you question your safety. That's OCD. Breaking the OCD cycle takes effective treatment. Go to nocd.com to learn more. - There's a video. - Something, yeah. - Is it just you standing? - I'm practically or laying something, but it was terrible. - How old are you? - 25. Just turned 25. - Oh, my God. - So I get that side of it, but I think there's other things that, like I said, without getting too far into it, there's other things that are floating around out there. But again, I'm kind of starting to match up a little bit with what you're telling me. - Yeah, I think you can. I don't even know how to say no, and I couldn't stop him. - Did you, at any point, did you have physical relations with him? - I don't know. - All right, I'm gonna have you take a deep breath, okay? I'm gonna give you a minute. I'm gonna take your phone. I have to take your phone. You can hold onto this, okay? I'm gonna go ahead and take your phone. - During the questioning, Sanroman appeared to confess to at least two sexual encounters with the student in the backseat of her car, parked on a street outside of her house. - I'm gonna go ahead and take your phone. - During the questioning, Sanroman appeared to confess to at least two sexual encounters with the student in the backseat of her car, parked on a street outside the teen's home. - After those situations, I could tell him, like, I can't contact you. You can't contact me. Like, this isn't right. Um, in trouble. Like, obviously, like, my parents didn't know we're supposed to get married. It's just so much going on. - When the officer asked Sanroman if Sanroman wanted to talk to her, Sanroman said, "No." He said, "No." He said, "No." He said, "No." He said, "No." He said, "No." When the officer asks San Roman when she was last put in contact with the teen, she pauses for a long time before saying it was several months ago, but the officer immediately catches her in a lie. What did you tell them? I told them, see, this is why I told you. We couldn't have contact. We shouldn't have done anything. Has this happened with any other students? No. This is my first time teaching. I allowed them to let me get myself in trouble by thinking, like, what they did in class or what they said in class was, like, okay. I thought things were normal. Like, even my middle schoolers were really, you know, into my personal life and all that stuff. I just, I know that sounds funny because I'm not underage, but I swear I didn't know anything better. I was scared of him. He's bigger than me. He's taller than me. And he pushed me. Did he threaten you? Why do you mean threaten? Did he threaten you with violence? No, not with violence. Your friend knew that if you didn't do this, I'm going to expose you. I think so. When did he do that? I'm not sure. Are you 100% sure that he did that? I genuinely think so. I'm literally ruined my life. I've never had this trouble or done anything before. I did not mean to do it myself in this situation. I allowed my students to basically tell me, like, hey, this is normal. Like, this is how we do it in the classroom. This is how we speak, whatever. Like, I genuinely made that mistake. And like I said, that's why I didn't stop contacting him. That's why, like, ever since then, like, I didn't want to contact him. He would repeatedly, like, reach out, and I'm like, no, like, I can't. The officer collects San Roman's phone, and she agrees to let law enforcement search it. He lets her know that her car will need to be searched, too. What's going to happen? I'm going to have to figure all that out. I will tell you, I'm going to probably take your card for processing. Okay. I need to follow up. I got you. Okay. I left my dog. We're at stage one, all right? We've got to work through this. Are you willing to write out a statement for me? I am. I'm going to go grab a statement for him, okay? I'm just going to take your key. That doesn't mean I'm paying you. What time is it? I do have my meeting with my school at 2. it's 130. I'll let them know. Okay. Can I ask you a couple more questions? Are you okay with that? Yeah. Yeah, you sure? Okay. So, I gotta ask you some details and it's gonna be a little uncomfortable, all right? So, just bear with me. So, during those two times, the first time. Observe the North American dad, 50s, great polo collection. He enters his vehicle information on carvana an offer appears in minutes remarkable he squints reads it again smiles and says dang that's a good offer the highest form of approval no haggling no hassle no one called him boss he's still on the couch astonishing sell your car today on carvana.com pickup fees may apply ♪ We're all here, it's family ♪ ♪ Presents for the ones you love ♪ ♪ At a rock ♪ He went over to his house, right? No way, it was in the car, it never got out. Right, but you got, it was in your vehicle. Where was it at? In the backseat. The officer leaves San Roman alone in the interrogation room to write out her statement. According to a police report, San Roman went out for drinks the year prior at Red Lobster with a male coworker. She reportedly believed that he was flirting with her by asking her some naughty questions. And in her intoxicated state, she says that she revealed to him that she had sex with a student. The police report says that the coworker was shocked, but details about him making a report to school officials were not provided. Then in the days before San Roman was questioned, a behavior specialist at the school reported to the principal that a female student said she'd seen an inappropriate video of the teacher, San Roman. And at that point, it seems that San Roman decided to come down to the sheriff's department and try to clear things up. So back in the interrogation room, after spending a while on her own, a detective comes in to clarify a few things. So what we do right now, we're kind of in a fact-finding phase. So we need to hammer out what happened, who was involved, when it happened, where it happened, how it happened, and why it happened. Right? Does that make sense? After all that is said and done, we put all of the facts together. We ship it over to the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor's office goes through it very carefully. They take everything into account, okay? And then they'll be in contact with us. They'll let us know which way we're going to go. - So you guys will be in contact with me? - Yes, absolutely, yeah. No surprises during this whole process, okay? judgment. People make mistakes. Because we're all human beings, and we. I've made the worst mistake of my life. I understand. But the important part is that we get everything straightened out. My conversations with him started when he contacted me on social media. That's where that was. Okay. Him and his brother. So his brother has been a setting. You know, some people could vote either just my friends could message me, anyone could message me, or, you know, whatever the case. And his brother had it where anyone could message him, but you had to be friends before you could send a message. Okay. So I told him, like, "Hey, you know, I can't ask you guys until you're 18 and you graduate." That's how that conversation started. Is that a personal rule, or is that a school rule? I think it's a school rule. Okay. I'm just curious. I don't know if we don't. We don't have. I'm just wondering how that exactly works. Okay. So eventually, you. Do you remember the social media app that you were corresponding on? Mm-hmm. It was Instagram. Instagram. Okay. I didn't really catch all of this. No. And then you go. So we're corresponding with. Yeah. Okay. So what exactly did they say? I don't remember. Adam was adamant to add me. He really didn't care. And. And then going forward from there, there was an exchange of messages. for the photos exchange? Yes. Okay. You sent that to him? I did. And Mike did it. Yes. Like I said, I truly, truly, truly was just scared of the situation because I didn't want to be in it. I didn't want to get involved. So I've just been scared of males. I'm obviously like I'm a teacher and I'm older than him, but to me, like it just didn't matter because I just couldn't tell him no, I was scared. I just felt stuck in the situation. I didn't have a risk for anything to happen. I genuinely didn't want to throw my life away. And I'm not saying that you didn't. Okay. I didn't have a risk. This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just $15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song like All I Want. Right. Okay, we can't afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for a 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. We're all here it's family presents for the ones you love at rock Who's in jail? You don't know. Well, I'm not in. Okay. Are you okay? Jocelyn, are you okay having this conversation with me? If you're not, I can get an email over. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm sorry. I gave that. These are explicit photos, correct? They are. Videos? They were. The whole time. I didn't want him to say anything, but I kept it going. It's like if I didn't keep it going, I'd keep having to contact him and say he was going to say something. And I feel dumb because I've also said what I decide. I didn't act stupid. No, no. We all make mistakes, okay? I don't know. I don't know if I'd call him to jail. What happens if I was supposed to get married and I just, I was, and I was like, what if he was contacting me? I'm like, he genuinely cares, so I don't know. And then my whole thing was like, I'm sorry. Take your time. I've tried to let him know, and I've tried so much to contact him, and, like, every time that I would be like, hey, you know, shouldn't you just, well, why not? Why shouldn't I leave you? You know, they're both going to tell me. And that triggers me. Right. I can understand that. And this whole time, too, I would tell him, I was like, if I get in trouble, I'm the only one getting in trouble. Like, you're nuts. You're going to get away with it. He didn't care, and I was just scared. I was like, is that, would he ever have mentioned something of, like, hey, we shouldn't, or what was said, whatever the case, and he literally would always be like, so what, like, you need to explain to me why not. Or, like, what's the case? Did he ever make any sort of, like, threat? Like, if you don't, then I'm going to tell someone. He didn't say, if I don't, then I'm going to tell you something, or tell someone. But he did say, like, he's like, well, I'm just going to tell someone. He didn't say, like, if you don't do it. He's like, well, why can't you do it? And he said, like, oh, I will never tell. And I'm like, oh, like, I know you won't. Which, like, I was, I'm sure he probably would have, I don't know what, you know, what could have occurred. But I was just trying to protect myself every time, and obviously look where I got myself. Sam Roman lamented that she loves teaching and loves kids, but that she, quote, allowed them to control her. I really take so much passion into teaching. Like, there were times when I ruined everything for me. I was very sad. I'm going back after this year because of everything that's happened. Like, this is not how I felt in my first year of teaching. To me, especially, like, you hear so many stories that I've never got out of my way to talk to a student and be disrespectful to a student and appropriate with a student. I love someone else. You just felt so stupid. I love this kid. You control what I did instead. According to a police report, investigators found multiple, explicitly, photos and videos of Sam Roman on the phone, as well as messages that she had sent to the teen boy asking for him to reciprocate. Sam Roman was arrested and charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a student, and in April of this year, she entered a guilty plea. She'll have to spend at least four years in prison with a maximum sentence of 15 years. That will do it for this episode of On the Case, presented by Law & Crime. I'm Chris Stewart. We'll see you next time. Thanks for watching!