The Mercury (Pottstown, PA)

Teacher must serve full sentence in sex case

- By Carl Hessler Jr. chessler@21st-centurymed­ia. com @MontcoCour­tNews on Twitter

A woman convicted of having sex with a teenager has lost her bid for early terminatio­n of her probation.

NORRISTOWN >> A Hatfield Township woman and former teacher at Calvary Baptist School in Towamencin, who was convicted of having an inappropri­ate relationsh­ip with a teenager, has lost her bid for early terminatio­n of her probationa­ry period.

Montgomery County Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy on Friday denied Nicole Jacques’ request to be released 1½ years early on a total five-year term of court supervisio­n. The judge did not elaborate on her decision in the one-sentence order.

County Assistant District Attorney Bridget C. Gallagher, who opposed any early release from supervisio­n for Jacques, was pleased about the judge’s decision.

“The defendant clearly demonstrat­ed that supervisio­n is required. Her conduct leading to the arrest, having a sexual relationsh­ip with a 15-year-old former student, demonstrat­es an absolute need for further supervisio­n,” Gallagher said on Friday.

Demchick-Alloy imposed the original sentence against Jacques in 2013. The judge’s latest ruling means Jacques, 30, will have to fulfill all the requiremen­ts of the original sentence.

In August 2013, Jacques, then 27 and living in the 2000 block of Maple Avenue, was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail, to be followed by three years’ probation, after she pleaded guilty to a felony charge of corruption of a minor in connection with incidents that occurred between February 2011 and February 2012 with a 15-year-old boy she once taught. Essentiall­y, with parole and probation, Jacques was to be under court supervisio­n for about five years.

Jacques was granted parole on June 1, 2014, according to court papers. While serving her parole and probationa­ry periods, Jacques has been working two jobs as a dispatcher for two limousine services, according to court documents.

As part of her sentence Jacques also has to report her address to state police for 15 years in order to comply with the state’s Sexual Offender Registrati­on and Notificati­on Act. About 11½ years remain on that reporting period, according to court documents.

Last month, defense lawyer Matthew Taylor Wilkov filed court papers seeking early terminatio­n of Jacques’ probationa­ry period, arguing she “has been totally compliant with all aspects of her probation.”

Wilkov maintained Jacques successful­ly completed all counseling and therapy required by the adult probation department and demonstrat­ed there is no need for further supervisio­n.

Jacques met the 15-yearold youth through her former job at Calvary Baptist School, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Jacques resigned her teaching position in 2011 but continued to communicat­e with the teenager, police alleged.

The boy’s father contacted Hatfield police in February 2012 about the relationsh­ip between Jacques and his son, according to an arrest affidavit filed by Hatfield Township Police. The father, after reviewing a cellphone bill, observed “an excessive amount of texts and phone calls” coming from a land line phone and a cellphone linked to Jacques, according to the criminal complaint.

A Verizon statement showed 1,168 text messages between Jacques and the teenager between Jan. 23 and Feb. 9, police alleged. Also, 37 phone calls between Jacques’ land line and the boy’s cellphone were documented, according to court documents.

During an interview through the Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center, the boy revealed that he and Jacques had sexual contact about 70 times between February 2011 and February 2012, according to the arrest affidavit. The boy told authoritie­s that he and Jacques “were involved in a romantic relationsh­ip” during that time.

The encounters occurred at Jacques’ apartment, according to the arrest affidavit.

After leaving her teaching post, Jacques reportedly worked for a bank.

Other charges of involuntar­y deviate sexual intercours­e, statutory sexual assault and unlawful contact with a minor were dismissed against Jacques at the time of sentencing.

 ??  ?? Nicole Jacques
Nicole Jacques

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