Former Sports Official Pleads Guilty to Drugging and Raping Former Student

TYLER — A Tyler man accused of drugging and raping a former John Tyler Student in 2009 has plead guilty. The former high school sports official, Robert Robinson, 63, plead gulity on Monday in the 114th District Court of Smith County. According to our news partner KETK, the victim became pregnant from the rape and she gave birth to a daughter. An investigation began in June of last year after Child Protective Services received a tip. Robinson will be sentenced on March 6.

The woman, now 26, will be referred to as “Emily.” Robinson was arrested in September on charges of child sexual assault by the Smith County Sheriff’s Office and is in jail on a $500,000 bond. According to the warrant obtained by KETK, Robinson was trying to gain custody of Emily’s daughter. Sources tell KETK News Robinson worked for several years as an umpire and referee for East Texas high school sports, including softball. An investigation began back in late June 2019 after Child Protective Services received a tip about Emily and her daughter. The tip was given to the Tyler Police Department, who forwarded the case to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office when it was discovered the assault happened outside the city limits. Emily was interviewed by investigators in July and said the assault was the first time she met Robinson. She was positive the incident occurred on March 29, 2009, when she was 15 years old. She said that she walking in her Tyler neighborhood when he pulled up in a tan Corvette and asked her if she wanted to “hang out with him”. Robinson was 52 years old at the time. The warrant says she agreed and he drove her to his house just north of the city limits where he gave her a beer. Emily said in her conversation with a Sheriff’s detective she passed out after drinking it and believed she had been drugged. When she woke up, Robinson was on top of her. A few weeks later, Emily was in juvenile detention where she found out she was pregnant. She later saw Robinson at John Tyler and figured he worked there, but did not know what his job was. One source told KETK News that Robinson did work for TISD, but they were also unsure of his position. When Emily told him about the pregnancy, he denied he could be the father because he was sterile. The daughter was born in December 2009. She did not tell anyone about the child because she did not want to get Robert in trouble, according to the warrant. She asked Robert to help out financially and he would sometimes provide diapers or giver her money. The warrant also states that Robinson had recently agreed to take a DNA test and it proved he was the father. The probability came back with a 99.99 percent match. Emily also said that Robinson is now trying to gain custody of her daughter, who is now 9 years old. According to multiple sources who requested anonymity, Robinson was a multi-sport, high school sports official in East Texas. However, he was barred from those sports for unrelated behavioral reasons.