DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (Court TV) — Prosecutors want a high school teacher accused of sexually assaulting multiple students to stay behind bars after they say she’s broken the terms of her pretrial release dozens of times.
Maris Nichols appears virtually in court. (Court TV)
Maris Nichols, 25, was indicted on 27 charges, including multiple counts of sexual contact by a teacher, sexual exploitation of children, cruelty to children and electronically furnishing obscene material to minors. She pleaded not guilty at a brief court appearance.
Before her indictment, Nichols had initially been arrested on 11 similar charges after investigators said they were contacted by a student who claimed to have seen videos of Nichols “having a sexual affair” with a student in a closet at the school.
Nichols, a science teacher and football coach at Alexander High School in Douglas County, Georgia, is accused of sexually assaulting a total of six students. Documents reviewed by Court TV show that investigators have accused her of also sending video and photos of herself, naked and using sex toys, to the students. Text messages sent to several students allegedly said that Nichols liked the student, “what sexual acts she wanted him to do to her, and how she liked to be choked, screamed at, slapped and whipped during sexual encounters.” One female student reported to investigators that Nichols had her “watch the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ movies” and spoke to her in sexually graphic terms.
Nichols was initially arrested in May on 11 charges; she was released on a $74,000 bond with strict conditions that included house arrest with a GPS monitor. Now, prosecutors say the defendant hasn’t been abiding by those conditions and have asked for her bond to be revoked. Over 27 days of monitoring, the state’s motion claims, Nichols violated the conditions 85 times. Those violations allegedly included her traveling to places she was not allowed to go, such as retail stores and fast-food restaurants.
“The underlying charges involve allegations of sexual offenses against minors,” the prosecutors’ motion says. “The Magistrate Court specifically prohibited contact with minor children and imposed strict house arrest conditions to mitigate the risk posed by the Defendant. The Defendant’s unauthorized travel to public locations, including locations where children are frequently present, undermines the purpose of those conditions.”
Prosecutors wrote in their motion that they’re concerned not only about the potential for Nichols to reoffend, but also about the risk of potential witness intimidation.
Nichols is due in court on Monday for a bond revocation hearing, during which Judge Lauren Wallace will determine whether she will be released.
