A former “teacher of the year” pleaded guilty to reduced charges after he was accused of repeatedly kissing a 14-year-old girl.
Matthew Nesser, 37, was originally charged with indecent behavior with a juvenile, according to NOLA.com. Instead, he pleaded guilty to charges of malfeasance in a public job and contributing to the delinquency of a minor as part of a plea deal on Nov. 5. Nesser was sentenced to three years of probation.
New Orleans teacher accused of kissing 14-year-old studenthttps://t.co/A9F7SJqFkc pic.twitter.com/DztZx3PuWs
— WBRZ News (@WBRZ) May 2, 2018
Nesser’s lawyer cited the coronavirus pandemic as the reason the former teacher took the plea deal. (RELATED: Teacher Traumatized 17-Year-Old Student With Sex Frolics In A Park And At His House, Police Say)
“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 originally informed the mother that Nesser had kissed her 14-year-old daughter in April of 2018, the outlet reported. Later, the student claimed the teacher had kissed her multiple times.
Nesser allegedly gave the student back rubs and told her he loved her. He reportedly had told her they could eventually be together when she got older and sent her gifts, the outlet reported.