XENIA — A former Fairborn ROTC director now knows how long he’ll be in prison for sexually abusing one of his underage high school students.
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Eriks Fricsons, 54, was sentenced to 12-16 years in prison on Thursday. He was also designated a Tier III sex offender and will have to register as a sex offender every three months for the rest of his life once released from prison.
As previously reported, Fricsons pleaded guilty to over 20 counts each of sexual battery and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person in October.
One count of pandering came from a separate case against Fricsons involving an underage girl who was not one of his former students. The punishment for this case was included in Thursday’s sentence.
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As shown on News Center 7 at 5:00, the victim who was Fricsons’ student made a statement at his sentencing.
“You manipulated me, gaslit me, and used my trust as a weapon against me,” the victim, who we are not identifying, said to Friscons.
She told the court how his crimes have affected her.
“I feel like I am trapped in a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” she said.
Friscons, an Air Force veteran, was the former junior ROTC director at the old Fairborn High School. The victim was a 15-year-old sophomore when he began abusing her.
For nearly a year, they had sex dozens of times, and each time Friscons recorded it on video.
In court, he apologized for his actions.
“I’d like to apologize to everybody in here, the public, all my students, my school, but most importantly, my victim,” Fricsons said.
After pointing out that he only apologized to one of his two victims, the judge had a stern response.
“Your statements had zero impact on me,” Judge Adolfo Tornichio said. “You take no responsibility, sir. You are the monster that the parents talk about.”
In a statement to News Center 7, Greene County Prosecutor David Hayes said Fricsons’ “methodical, months-long abuse of the Fairborn High School student in this case represents a betrayal of every trust that was placed in him.”
“He failed in his responsibility as an educator, and he brought shame upon the uniform that he wore. I think that our legislature should consider stronger penalties when educators commit these crimes,” Hayes said.
The former Fairborn student said the trauma has impacted her into adulthood. She also talked about her resiliency.
“I am learning to turn this pain into strength, to transform my story into something that can help others,” she said.
She also told the court that she forgives Fricsons, but it’s not an excuse for what he did. Instead, it’s a “step toward freedom.”
“I will not let this define me, but I will use it to rise,” she said.
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