On Dec. 1, 2025, a former special education teacher at Big Rapids Public Schools, Lake City Area Schools and Reed City Area Public Schools was sentenced to 60 days in Missaukee County Jail for accosting a child for immoral purposes.

Mark Robertson, 59, was formally charged in August on two counts of accosting a child for immoral purposes and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime. Robertson pleaded no contest to one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes in October, and the three other charges were dismissed as a part of the plea agreement.

The incident, which originated in June 2024 in Lake Township, involved a sting operation with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl communicating with 59-year-old Mark Robertson. After finding out about the allegations in March 2025, Big Rapids Public Schools placed Robertson on leave from his position at Eastwood Elementary.

Robertson will also serve five years of probation, pay a $1,000 fine plus court fees, and be registered as a Tier II sex offender for 25 years.