Former Kennewick school superintendent allegedly arranged sex with minor

A former Kennewick school superintendent is behind bars after allegedly arranging to meet a minor girl for sex.

Paul W. Rosier, 75, of Olympia, was arrested Saturday morning in the lobby of the Hampton Inn in Richland by investigators from the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to a news release.

He spent the weekend in the Benton County jail. He was booked for two counts of commercial sex abuse of a minor and attempted second-degree rape of a child, according to the jail roster.

He appeared Monday morning in Benton County District Court for a hearing on a 72-hour hold. He can be held without bail until April 6.

Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller said no decision about charges can be made until a police report is filed.

His office is discussing with federal authorities who is going to handle the case.

The case against Rosier started with a Richland police human trafficking investigation involving a 16-year-old girl, Capt. Mike Cobb said.

The department notified the task force, a group of agents and detectives from Homeland Security Investigations, and Kennewick police about text messages the girl was receiving on her cellphone.

Members of the task force posed as the girl when Rosier contacted her. He allegedly initially requested sex from the girl, but eventually asked her to arrange a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old.

He allegedly agreed to pay $160 for the encounter, and $40 to the 16-year-old for brokering the deal, according to court records. Investigators discovered the cash in two separate bundles outside of his wallet.

Rosier joined the Kennewick School District in 1994 after work in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Washington as a teacher, principal, curriculum coordinator, education director and superintendent.

In his 12 years with the district, he oversaw the construction of Southridge High School and a Lampson Stadium remodel.

He also helped start the Ready! for Kindergarten program, which has spread across the state and nation.

Rosier left the district in 2006 to take a job as executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators in Olympia. He held that position until 2014.

The Kennewick School District provided information Monday about Rosier’s work history, and said it would not issue any additional statements about the arrest.

This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Former Kennewick school superintendent allegedly arranged sex with minor."