- Nichole Noel Thiel, 48, was found not guilty of sexual battery of a student, 16
- The 7-woman, 5-man jury relied almost entirely on witness testimony
- Thiel was accused of having sex with the boy at her Idaho condominium
- Defense brought up lawsuit boy’s mother filed against school district and suggested a guilty verdict would help her win
Nichole Noel Thiel was acquitted by a 7-woman, 5-man jury of sexual battery of a 16-year-old male student with whom she allegedly had sex in late 2015 and early 2016
An Idaho teacher and administrator has been acquitted of sexual battery of a male student.
Part of the defense’s argument for Nichole Noel Thiel was that the male student, who remained anonymous, was out for money, reports the Coeur d’Alene Press.
A 7-woman, 5-man jury came to the conclusion. The jury relayed almost solely on witness testimony due to the absence of physical evidence.
Thiel, a former Lake City High School teacher and Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy administrator, was 46 when she allegedly had sex with a 16-year-old male back in late 2015 and early 2016 at her condominium.
The defense brought up a lawsuit the boy’s mother had filed against the Lake Pend Oreille School District and suggested that a guilty verdict would help the mother win the lawsuit.
Jurors also heard about the teenager’s prior problems with discipline. He also told the court that he had wanted to have sex with the woman, who was a culinary arts teacher.
Thiel had been a culinary arts teacher at Lake City High School (pictured) in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
The teenager’s accounts of the alleged sexual activity had discrepancies, Thiel’s defense further argued.
The county prosecutor urged the jury to stick to the facts of the case and to not consider prior behavior of the teenager.
Thiel’s defense attorney, Michael Palmer, summarized the course of the trial: ‘In a case like this with a teenage student saying it happened and the teacher denying it, it placed Ms. Thiel in the dilemma of feeling like she had to prove a negative.’
He added: ‘[The student’s] accusation involved an abuse of trust and a registrable sex crime.’
The boy previously said the relationship started after he hugged her because he saw her crying, KXLY reports.