A onetime “teacher of the year” at a New Orleans charter school accused of repeatedly kissing a 14-year-old girl in his classroom has pleaded guilty to reduced charges, according to a report.
Matthew Nesser, 37, who was named the top educator at Edward Hynes Charter School in 2010, pleaded guilty on Nov. 5 to malfeasance in a public job and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection to the eighth-grader, NOLA.com reported.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, Nesser, who was initially charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile and faced up to seven years in prison, was sentenced to three years of probation.
He was also ordered to forfeit his Louisiana teaching license and faces a lifetime ban from the classroom, court records cited by the outlet shows.
Prosecutors on Wednesday declined to comment, but Nesser’s attorney said he pleaded guilty due to a backlog of more serious cases that have delayed New Orleans courts, meaning he wouldn’t have gotten a jury trial until 2022.
“My client has always professed his innocence of these charges,” attorney Joseph Raspanti told NOLA.com. “But because of the pandemic and the time he would have had to wait for a jury trial, he decided for the good of his family to acquiesce to the offer made by the DA’s office of these minor, reduced charges and go on with his life.”
Police said the mother of the 14-year-old girl told investigators in April 2018 that Nesser had kissed her daughter at the school, which serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade.
The girl later claimed Nesser kissed her several times, including while they were alone in a classroom as she helped him grade papers, court documents show.
Nesser also gave the girl back rubs and told her he loved her, claiming they could be romantically involved when she got older if she kept their actions from her parents, police said. He showered the girl with gifts as well, even buying her jewelry and chocolates for her birthday and Valentine’s Day, an arrest warrant shows.
Nesser, who was previously released on bond, was fired by the charter school after the girl’s mother contacted cops. A judge also ordered him last week to undergo counseling, NOLA.com reported.
The girl’s parents, meanwhile, also pursued a civil case against Nesser, which has been resolved. Raspanti and an attorney for the teen’s parents declined to elaborate, according to report.
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