Married Former Kansas Teacher Accused of Grooming and Having Unlawful Sexual Relations With Student, 17
A former Kansas high school art teacher accused of grooming and having unlawful sexual intercourse with an underage student will be tried on four felonies, a judge ruled this week.
Nicole HernandezThe 30-year-old appeared in court on Tuesday (December 2) after being accused of four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a student. KAKE.com reported.
Also known as “Hernandez”nikki bairdHe was arrested on May 22 but appeared in court for the first time last month. accordingly Wichita Eagle.
He no longer teaches art at Wichita North High School, where the 17-year-old victim was a student.
Wichita police began investigating Hernandez on May 19 after receiving a tip about a specific Instagram post that claimed the married teacher was having an “inappropriate relationship” with a former Wichita school district student.
Eagle, referring to a statement in the caseThe school was notified of Hernandez’s alleged behavior during the 2023-2024 school year and the matter was addressed internally, he said. The statement does not include information about the outcome of the investigation.
Administrators approached Hernandez in May after learning he was being investigated, and he allegedly admitted to getting “too close” with the student and overstepping boundaries. Eagle.
She initially claimed that she had an emotional affair with the boy that began after he graduated from high school. However, each of the four crimes against him were dated before the student’s graduation, the newspaper reported.
He also claimed that things with the teenager were never physical.
But the now-adult student told investigators otherwise. He claimed that he kept her well-groomed throughout her sophomore, junior and senior years of high school. “She described how he befriended her and then isolated her from others,” the affidavit said. Eagle.
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He then began “touching or rubbing her back or shoulders” and soon began demanding hugs from her. The student claimed that he spent a lot of time alone with his teacher and they started texting each other. The indictment stated that Hernandez “texted her about how his marriage was struggling.” “‘I hope and pray one day I get the chance to be with you,’ and ‘I know I love you,'” one letter he allegedly wrote to her read.
During his senior year, the two were spending time together at a local arts center when he allegedly grabbed the woman’s hand and held her. At school, Hernandez allegedly kissed the boy’s neck during one of their embraces.
Hernandez then arranged for them to meet after school and “kept asking her if she wanted him to kiss her,” the affidavit alleged. Eagle reported. “She said she was nervous and finally said ‘yes’.” Hernandez allegedly told the boy to keep the interaction private.
The touching continued and became more intimate. Then, a week before graduation, Hernandez invited the boy to his office, where he told him to touch his body. Hours after the graduation ceremony, Hernandez arranged to meet the student in a random neighborhood and the boy “felt pressured” to have sex with him in the backseat of his Jeep.
Hernandez allegedly told the young victim that what he was doing was legal considering he was a graduate. The sexual assaults continued for weeks and Hernandez began sending nude photos of herself to the boy. Eagle reported.
Over time, the teenager stopped communicating with the educator after realizing his “relationship with the student.” [her] was inappropriate and manipulated by him [Hernandez]”according to the statement.
Eagle Cops reported that the woman claimed to have visited the teenager at work and even left candy on him while the car was parked in the driveway. According to the affidavit, the teenager told his parents about this and then shared the nude photos with investigators.
Hernandez is released from jail on $50,000 bond and is due in court on July 28. Attempts to reach his attorney for comment were unsuccessful Friday.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, get in touch National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
