Bay Shore, NEW YORK

A year after he was convicted in the one case, he was acquitted on another case.

October 29, 2008 - A jury acquitted Richard Tuthill, 36, two counts of second-degree sexual abuse after a three-week trial The jury deliberated seven days on the misdemeanor charges. He was on trial for touching two 13-year-old girls in separate incidents in 2005 during private voice lessons at his home.

Last year, a jury found Tuthill guilty of second-degree sexual abuse, a charge that was the result of the first girl to accuse him. He was sentenced to six months' probation and was required to register as a sex offender. The case is being appealed.

Tuthill was a music teacher at Bay Shore Middle School.

Guy, ARKANSAS

ACQUITTED BY JURY

August 1, 2008 - A former Guy-Perkins Elementary School teacher charged with fourth-degree sexual assault was acquitted by a Faulkner County jury Tuesday.

Franklin Davis, 47, resigned in March 2007 amid allegations that he had groped a nine-year-old student on more than one occasion.
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Davis was identified as a school principal in an article under subscription wall at the Democrat Gazette.

Long Beach, CALIFORNIA

Acquitted of all charges by a jury.

Sept 17, 2007 - Raul Olivas, 41, Millikan High School head boys basketball coach, was arrested on suspicion of secretly videotaping his 16-year-old stepdaughter after the girl found a camera containing graphic images hidden in her bedroom closet.

The girl was searching for something when she came across the camera trained on a part of the room where she typically dressed. On the camera were images of her in various states of undress.

Police did not identify Olivas, but the Press-Telegram did. Arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 27

June 24, 2008 - Reader said that he was found not guilty. We are trying to find an online story to link to.

ACQUITTED July 11 - A jury last month acquitted a former Millikan High School teacher and coach charged with two counts of secretly taping his 16-year-old stepdaughter for sexual gratification.

Rather, Olivas and a forensic psychologist who testified for the defense - along with Olivas's wife and his stepdaughter - testified that Olivas was suffering from alcoholism, gambling addiction and depression and that he planted the camera in an obvious place as an act of self-destruction.

During the trial, Olivas' three previous DUIs were brought to light as well his prior treatment for alcoholism during a stint in rehab.

ODD NOTE: City Prosecutor Tom Reeves said Thursday that his office made no notice of the trial at the request of the victim and her family. "They were very upset with the previous media coverage," Reeves said. "So we agreed win, lose, or draw we would not publicize the case." [TT - Is that bizarre, or what?]

EVEN ODDER NOTE: According to court transcripts, Dr. Sanjay Sahgal - an assistant professor at USC and the forensic psychiatrist who interviewed Olivas - said Olivas freely admitted planting the camera to tape his stepdaughter and admitted he was attracted to teen girls. The doctor said such attractions are normal for adult males; and that while the act of setting up the camera was immoral and wrong, it was not proof of sexual deviation or pathology. [TT - No. Every father secretly tapes their 16-year-old daughter undressing. Or dreams of it? What the hell is that?]

JURY ACQUITS.

Bensalem, PENNSYLVANIA

ACQUITTED BY JURY. NOT GUILTY ON LESSER COUNTS.

May 10, 2008 - Franco Sicilia Jr., 37, a first-year Bensalem High School teacher, was arrested after a three-month investigation and charged with four counts of corruption of minors and four counts of harassment for incidents with four female students this school year.

One student told police she stopped going to classes early to avoid contact with Sicilia. Another female senior student told police that Sicilia would say things to her like, “‘I want to talk to you after graduation, there are some things I can’t tell you now’,” according to the complaint. Another described how students teamed up to avoid "caging" where he blocked them from behind, leaning over them and caging him with his arms.

However, the allegations about the incidents involving four senior girls were first reported to Bensalem Police School Resource Officer John Domanico Feb. 5. Eight days later non-teaching assistants (NTAs) were told not to offer any information about students to police, probation officers or staff without the permission of the administrators, according to notes from the NTAs’ Feb. 13 meeting that were provided to police.

“When NTAs are questioned by Staff, Probation, Police etc... about students they are not to offer any information without the knowledge/permission of the administrator,” the notes read.

A school employee who asked not to be identified said that if employees are told not to cooperate with police, problems at the school district could easily be hidden by administrators. That employee said the administration has threatened to fire anyone who does speak with police and staff without permission.

Sicilia was placed on unpaid leave in February. After his arraignment Wednesday Sicilia posted 10 percent of his $35,000 bail and was released. The investigation was a joint effort between a county detective and Bensalem police because Sicilia’s wife works for the township.

Full Name: Franco John Sicilia Jr.

PRELIMINARY June 27, 2008 - For almost an hour Thursday, the four 18-year-old Bensalem women testified at the preliminary hearing. One of the women broke down in tears that caused a brief halt to the hearing. The judge found sufficient cause and the trial in Bucks County court is tentatively scheduled for next month.

SCHEDULED - Formal arraignment is scheduled for July 25, 2008 at 12 PM with a trial date of August 25, 2008. [Updated 7/4/08]

ACQUITTED October 8 - Bucks County jury found Bensalem teacher Franco Sicilia not guilty of corrupting the morals of female students in his class. the jury was dismissed, Bucks County Judge David Heckler found Sicilia not guilty on four lessor counts of harassment.

ACQUITTED BY JURY. NOT GUILTY ON LESSER COUNTS.

Valdosta, GEORGIA

JURY ACQUITTED ON ALL CHARGES

Oct 4, 2007 -
Jeremy Bennett, 28, a second-grade teacher at Sallas Mahone Elementary, was arrested Sept 24th by Georgia authorities, accused of inappropriate sexual contact with two seven-year-old girls at his school. He is accused of touching their buttocks. He has been charged with two felony counts of sexual battery.
Full Name: Jeremy Albert Bennett

Found in NBC News 12 correction story.

TRIAL May 8, 2008 - Bennett is on trial, according to this brief story. He was indicted in November on two counts of sexual battery and one count of child molestation.

TESTIMONY - May 8 - See Students give testimony in Bennett trial
One girl is the daughter of the Valdosta City Schools Health Director. The second child is the daughter of a VCS Social Worker. A first grade teacher testified that the girls had several behavioral problems, one more than the other. Cross-examined and presented with the girls' report cards where the teacher reflected what a joy it was to have the girls in her class, she said comments on report cards were usually generic and she rarely indicated behavioral problems unless they were of a serious nature. Twenty-four character witnesses were called by the defense.

ACQUITTED May 8 - The jury acquitted on of all charges.

JURY ACQUITTED ON ALL CHARGES

Jefferson City, MISSOURI

JURY ACUITTED HIM OF ALL CHARGES.

Jan 10, 2007 - Brent Roark, 29, a Jefferson City High School math teacher, has been charged with two counts of second-degree statutory rape.

The indictment against Roark alleges two encounters occurred with a female under the age of 17. Roark has been on paid leave since last October while school district officials and the police investigated.
Full name: Brent D. Roark

Update Jan 24 - Roark resigned.

NOT GUILTY PLEA: Oct 11 - Roark was indicted by the grand jury in January on two counts of second-degree statutory rape. He was scheduled to go to trial on those two counts on Aug. 1, but that same day, Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson dropped those charges, then refiled them and added the statutory sodomy charge.

A Grand Jury indicted Roark last month on two counts of second-degree statutory rape and one count of second-degree statutory sodomy. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.

Under state law, a 16 year old cannot legally consent to sexual contact with anyone over 21, even if the teen wants to say he or she was a willing participant.

ACQUITTED Jan 19 - After four-and a half-hours, the jury acquitted Roark of all charges.

JURY ACQUITTED HIM OF ALL CHARGES.

Tupelo, MISSISSIPPI

ACQUITTED

May 11, 2007 - Robert Chisholm, 31, a physical education teacher at Joyner Avenue Elementary School, was arrested on charges of molesting a juvenile.

The incident with a 15-year-old -- who is not a Tupelo student -- took place while the two were in Destin, Fla., Chisholm, 31, is in the Monroe County Jail while awaiting extradition to Walton County, Fla.
Full Name: Robert Alan Chisholm

ACQUITTED Jan 16, 2008 - Chisholm was a acquitted. Information from poster and found on Walton County, Florida Clerk of the Records website.

ACQUITTED

Jackson, MISSISSIPPI

JUDGE ORDERED RETRIAL. Second trial jury found her not guilty.

Jan 1, 2007 - WLBT-3 will follow as "High Profile Cases Head to Court" including court for two Jackson Public School teachers.

First, there is the preliminary hearing for Carla Hughes. (Our entry for Hughes) scheduled for Jan 2nd.

Then, jury selection begins for is Elicia Hughes, 28. (No relation) She is the school teacher who was arrested for the 2004 murder of her husband, Brian Hughes. He was shot several [turns out to be 6] times inside the couple's home in Jackson.

TRIAL (Jan 3) Trial begins for Elicia Hughes. Hughes remains on administrative leave from her teaching post at a Jackson elementary school.

UPDATE: (Jan 5) Husband was insured for $250,000.

UPDATE: (Jan 8) Brian Hughes was a philandering husband and lawyer speculates which might have lead someone else to shoot him.

GUILTY VERDICT (Jan 10) Jury found Hughes guilty. Circuit Judge Winston Kidd sentenced Hughes, 35, a former Jackson Public Schools teacher, to life in prison. The Hughes had two children, ages 3 and 4, at the time of the murder.

RETRIAL ORDERED (Feb 22) - A circuit judge has ordered a retrial on the grounds that one of the reasons the state gave for striking a potential juror was not race neutral. Prosecutors in the Hinds County District Attorney's office had to explain why they used all their strikes to remove potential African-American jurors from Hughes' murder trial.

TRIAL DATE SCHEDULED (Apr 15) - A new date has been set for the re-trial of Hughes. The trial is scheduled for Nov 5.

RETRIAL - Nov 4 - The retrial is set to begin Tuesday.

NOT GUILTY VERDICT Nov 16 - The jury found Hughes not guilty.

Jan 2, 2008 - SleazeTV running tapes of the trial.