GARY BRUCE ROBB

Former Teacher
Brook Haven Middle School
Sebastopol, CA

"I'll embarrass Joanna."

Gary Bruce Robb, threatened to "embarrass" my 7 year old daughter, Joanna,
in public, by assaulting me in front of her and her friends.

For more information and video that further explains, please visit: YouTube.

 

 

On June 29, 1994, at Joanna’s request, I attended and videotaped her public swimming lesson in Sebastopol, California. 

Joanna's mother's boyfriend, Gary Bruce Robb, a PE instructor at Brook Haven Middle School at the time, took matters into his own hands that day and decided I needed to leave. 

Robb threatened to throw me in the swimming pool Joanna was in, stating "I'll embarrass Joanna."

Robb placed his hands on me physically tried to force my exit, and/or break my camera, several times. When all that failed, Robb finally called the police, and an SPD officer responded a short time later.

I was not arrested.  Robb had failed to produce a copy of the court order he claimed stated I could not be there, so the officer declined to act.

I complained to the officer that Robb had just threatened and assaulted me and the officer took a report.

The following day, again at Joanna’s request, I attended and videotaped her next swimming lesson.  This time Joanna's half sister Cristella accompanied me because she was in my custody at the time. Cristella was looking forward to seeing Joanna, the court order had separated them.

Robb brought Joanna to her swim lesson the second day.  After he saw me there, he called the police and asked them to place me under arrest. This time Robb came prepared with a copy of the court order.  Robb removed Joanna from the pool, ending her lesson, after the officer arrived, ostensibly to spare her the trauma of seeing her father arrested.

However, Cristella, the younger of the two, would just have to tough it out. And, had I actually been arrested, she might have had to wait at the police station, or with CPS for a while, until her mom could be located.

Robb tells the officer, in front of Cristella: “If you have the power to, I would like him placed under arrest for violation of the court order.” Then, just moments later, Robb makes small talk with Cristella and asks her, “Hi Cristella, how are you today?”

However, just as the day before, I was not arrested.

Bottom line: two days in a row Robb subjected my daughter(s) to unnecessary trauma of seeing their father confronted by the police like some kind of criminal.

Query: Why didn't Robb simply ask the officer to ask me to leave? Why would it have been necessary to place me under arrest? Was anyone in imminent danger?

Cristella: “Why did Bruce take her [Joanna] in? 

Me: Because he doesn’t want me around her. 

Cristella: Why? 

Me: I don’t know.”


Where’s Audrey? 

She must be at work.