From the Kingman Miner: Jurors spent less than 30 minutes determining that former Kingman Academy High School teacher Michael Wade Nelson was not guilty of a dozen sex-related allegations leveled against him last year by a teenager from Boulder City, Nev.
The speedy verdict led Joshua Davidson, one of Nelson's defense attorneys, to suggest the jury not only found his client innocent, but also exonerated him on each and every count.
Nelson, his wife Jenny, and about 30 other relatives and supporters broke into tears when the court clerk began to read the 12 separate charges, which ranged from allegations of sexual abuse and sexual conduct with a minor to attempted sexual assault.
Davidson's partner, Michael Bailey, spent several hours deconstructing the prosecution's case, which he said had neither physical nor corroborating evidence to support the charges against Nelson beyond the alleged victim's own statements, which changed with each telling.
Social media also might have played a key role in the jury's verdict.
The accuser, the daughter of now former friends of the Nelsons, never broke off contact with Nelson and his family between the time the alleged abuse occurred on Aug. 12, 2013, and when it was reported to Kingman police about three months later.Bailey speculated the seed for Nelson's prosecution was planted last November, when the woman and her high school friends were comforting a friend who was depressed.
He described Nelson's accuser as "histrionic, melodramatic and an attention seeker." He speculated she made up the story, but when one of her friends decided to tell a teacher, and that teacher was compelled to report the allegations to police, an investigation was launched and Nelson was arrested and charged.
"It never should have got this far," said Jenny Nelson following the verdict.
She is not alone in that belief.
Bailey, in his closing argument, was highly critical of the Mohave County Attorney's Office for filing charges with such little evidence.
Nelson, despite losing a job he had for nearly a decade and the stress he's had to live with for a year leading up to his trial, was gracious.
"It's my obligation to, No. 1, forgive. I forgive," he said. "I think what she did was a terrible thing. I think what the prosecutor did was very wrong and I think what the judge did was very wrong."
Nelson would not elaborate on what Judge Steven Conn might have done to upset him.http://kdminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=797&ArticleID=63551
Normally, when a jury only takes a few minutes to decide the case, the overwhelming evidence shows the person very guilty or very innocent.
In this case, the overwhelming evidence was that the teacher was innocent and the accuser was making everything up.
The accuser should face charges for bringing false charges against the teacher.
But where does Mr. Nelson get his reputation back? Does he get his job back with back pay?
How do you even start to get your reputation back, I have no idea, but good luck to Mr. Nelson and good luck in your future.
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