Dennis Roger Tanner

Sources

1. FORMER W.V. TEACHER WILL ASK STATE TO REVOKE TEACHING CERTIFICATE AS PART OF PLEA AGREEMENT, Deseret News, May 15, 1993.
2. TEACHER IN W.V. FACES SEX CHARGES, Deseret News, November 13, 1992.
3. SOME ACCUSED OF SEX ABUSE STILL SLIP INTO TEACHING JOBS, Deseret News, November 16, 1992.
4. Obituary: Dennis Roger Tanner, Deseret News, September 29, 1999.
5. Dennis Tanner, South High School, June 20, 2026.
6. Utah Xchange, WEST VALLEY CITY vs. DENNIS R TANNER, June 20, 2026.

• 1. FORMER W.V. TEACHER WILL ASK STATE TO REVOKE TEACHING CERTIFICATE AS PART OF PLEA AGREEMENT

  • 19930515
  • News article
  • Deseret News

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  Former Jackling Elementary School teacher Dennis R. Tanner has agreed to ask the state to permanently revoke his teaching certificate as part of a plea agreement accepted by 3rd Circuit Judge Edward Watson on Wednesday.

  In exchange, prosecutors dropped one of three misdemeanor charges against Tanner and agreed to let him plead no contest to two battery charges that stemmed from accusations of sexual misconduct with students at the elementary school.Watson earlier dismissed four additional counts of disorderly conduct, saying they did not meet the statutory requirements that an offense occur in a public place. A public school classroom is a private place, he said.

  Jo Carol Nesset-Sale, Tanner's attorney, said she believes Tanner had a defensible case but encouraged her client to enter the plea agreement because of "devastating publicity" about the case that "destroyed any chance of his continuing his career" as a teacher.

  West Valley City Prosecutor Keith Stoney countered that the city would have filed additional charges against Tanner if the case had continued on its earlier course. He added that the plea agreement also spared the young girls named in the complaints against Tanner from having to testify in court and face cross-examination.

  Watson refused Nesset-Sale's request for a sentencing Wednesday, saying he wanted a pre-sentence report from Adult Probation and Parole to determine whether Tanner needs counseling.
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  Watson scheduled a sentencing on the battery charges, which carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, for June 4.

• 2. TEACHER IN W.V. FACES SEX CHARGES

  • 19921113
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  • Deseret News

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  Jackling Elementary teacher Dennis R. Tanner, 40, has been accused of fondling girls in his class.

  Tanner was charged Thursday with four counts of lewdness with a child, four counts of disorderly conduct and two counts of battery," said City Attorney Paula Houston.One parent said her daughter told her on Nov. 4 that she and several other students had been fondled. Some other parents also said their daughters had been touched.

  Tanner, who previously worked in the Wasatch District, was suspended without pay, Granite District officials said.

• 3. SOME ACCUSED OF SEX ABUSE STILL SLIP INTO TEACHING JOBS

  • 19921116
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  • Deseret News

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  In spite of new state regulations designed to stop teachers accused of sex abuse from moving on to other schools, some still slip through the cracks.

  That was the case with Dennis R. Tanner, who pleaded not guilty Friday to 10 misdemeanor charges that he fondled students in his Jackling Elementary sixth-grade class. A pretrial hearing is planned before 3rd Circuit Judge Edward Watson Dec. 8 at 8:30 a.m.The Granite School District hired Tanner for the West Valley elementary without calling Wasatch School District in Heber City, where he was fired after working two years.

  If Granite officials had called, they would have learned that Tanner was the target of several complaints of "socially inapprop- riate" behavior, said Wasatch Middle School Principal Dave Giles in Heber City.

  "No one ever called me," Giles said. "I didn't even know he was getting another job in education."

  No charges were ever filed in Heber City, and Giles said the rumored behavior was never as serious as that Tanner is now charged with.

  "I investigated every one of the charges but could never substantiate any of them," Giles said.

  Parents of students in Tanner's Jackling Elementary class say the teacher pinched their children's buttocks, lifted girls' dresses and told sexual jokes in class.

  Tanner has been suspended without pay.

  Granite spokesman Kent Gardner said the district did not contact the Wasatch District school because four Heber school officials, including Giles, had written positive letters of recommendation for Tanner.

  "We had no idea there were any problems going on in Wasatch School District," Gardner said. "All of the letters were positive."

  Granite School officials also did not contact references listed by Tanner when he applied for the teaching job.

  "Nothing in the materials we received made me feel it was important to call and check on this man," Gardner said. "It is distressing to me that a person who supposedly had these problems was given such positive recommendations."

  Giles said that the four letters outlined Tanner's teaching abilities and were positive in the areas where they could be positive.

  "If you read those letters, you will see that we did not recommend him for certification," Giles said.

  The Tanner case is one of five similar cases involving former or current Utah teachers in the past year.
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  Earlier this year, the Utah Legislature passed several bills allowing criminal-background checks and fingerprinting to become part of the hiring process. Another law gives the state Office of Education access to expunged criminal records.

  The state acts as a clearinghouse for all districts and other states seeking background information on teacher applicants, said Roger Mouritsen, director of teacher certification for the state.

  It is the responsibility of individual districts to notify the state when a teacher is fired or resigns for something other than normal reasons.

  In the past, district officials have been fairly lax in reporting the dismissals, Mouritsen said.

• 4. Obituary: Dennis Roger Tanner

  • 19990929
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  • Deseret News

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  Our beloved husband, brother, uncle and friend, Dennis Roger Tanner, age 47, passed away September 27, 1999, in Salt Lake City.

  Roger was born September 9, 1952, in Salt Lake City Utah, the son of [redacted] and [redacted] Tanner. He married [redacted] on September 17, 1993 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He graduated from South High School in 1970. Roger received his bachelors degree from Weber State University. Rogers' interests included traveling, especially to the Northwest United States. He enjoyed fishing, skiing, square dancing, and loved studying astronomy and geology. Roger was a kind and loving individual who was respected and admired by all who knew him. His passing saddens our hearts and leaves a great void in our lives.

  [...]

  Funeral services will be held Thursday, September 30, 1999, at 12 noon, at the Emerson Ward, 1100 East 1700 South, where friends may call Thursday morning, from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. for one hour prior to the services. Interment: Salt Lake City Cemetery, 200 North "N" Street. Funeral Directors: The Holbrook Mortuary.

• 5. Dennis Tanner

  • 20260620
  • News article
  • South High School

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  Our beloved husband, brother, uncle and friend, Dennis Roger Tanner, age 47, passed away September 27, 1999, in Salt Lake City.

  Roger was born September 9, 1952, in Salt Lake City Utah, the son of [redacted] and [redacted] Tanner. He married [redacted] on September 17, 1993 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He graduated from South High School in 1970. Roger received his bachelors degree from Weber State University. Rogers' interests included traveling, especially to the Northwest United States. He enjoyed fishing, skiing, square dancing, and loved studying astronomy and geology. Roger was a kind and loving individual who was respected and admired by all who knew him. His passing saddens our hearts and leaves a great void in our lives.

  [...]

  Funeral services will be held Thursday, September 30, 1999, at 12 noon, at the Emerson Ward, 1100 East 1700 South, where friends may call Thursday morning, from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. for one hour prior to the services. Interment: Salt Lake City Cemetery, 200 North "N" Street. Funeral Directors: The Holbrook Mortuary.

• 6. Utah Xchange

  • 20260620
  • Court record
  • WEST VALLEY CITY vs. DENNIS R TANNER

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  THIRD JUDICIAL DISTRICT - SALT LAKE COUNTY DISTRICT COURT
  SALT LAKE COUNTY, STATE OF UTAH
  WEST VALLEY CITY vs. DENNIS R TANNER
  CASE NUMBER 921004012 Other Misdemeanor

  CHARGES

  Charge 1 - 76-9-102 - DISORDERLY CONDUCT - Class C Misdemeanor
  Offense Date: October 01, 1992
  Disposition: November 20, 1992 Dismissed (w/o prej)

  Charge 2 - 21-6-105 - BATTERY - Class B Misdemeanor
  Offense Date: October 01, 1992
  Disposition: November 20, 1992 Dismissed (w/o prej)

  11-20-1992 Warrant Issued on: November 20, 1992 Warrant Num: 921009465Bail Allowed
  Bail amount: 750.00
  Judge TYRONE E. MEDLEY
  Issue Reason: Failed to appear for scheduled hearing
  11-20-1992 Note: THIS CASE HAS ALREADY BEEN FILED-DISMISS
  06-20-2026 09:39 PM Page 1 of 2
  11-20-1992 Note: Entered case disposition of: Closed
  11-20-1992 Note: Chrg: 76-9-102 Find: Dismissed
  11-20-1992 Note: Chrg: 21-6-105 Find: Dismissed
  11-23-1992 Note: THIS CHARGE IS ALREADY FILED IN CASE NUMBER 921003928