FORT WORTH (1080 KRLD) - A former Fort Worth high school teacher will spend the next couple of decades in prison for sexually assaulting a student.
Albert Robles, 39, taught anime at Trimble Tech High School in the Fort Worth ISD.
"He was a teacher who manipulated and sexually assaulted a vulnerable 15-year-old student in his own home," says Julie Lugo, assistant Tarrant County district attorney who prosecuted the case.
At the time, the girl was going through a rough time in her life -- her mother had passed away, and she was living with an abusive father.
Robles pleaded guilty to two charges; and on Wednesday, a jury sentenced him to a total of 20 years in prison.
"The jury sentenced him to 15 years for sexual assault of a child under 17 and five years for indecency with a child under 17," says Lugo, "and the judge stacks those sentences."
As for the girl, she's on the road to recovery.
"She has gone through counseling, and she is doing a lot better than she was," Lugo says. "But this is going to take time."
Robles must serve at least half his sentence before he's eligible for parole, and he must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
"He portrayed himself as a popular teacher, and he played on the vulnerabilities of students and gain their trust," says Lugo, "and I believe justice was served in this case."
