CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A judge in Charlotte refused to accept a plea deal that would have sent a former middle school teacher to prison for 12 years for having sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Ernest Nichols entered guilty pleas Tuesday morning to three counts of statutory rape for having sex with the teenage girl at his home in Huntersville. Detectives said they found videotapes Nichols made of several of those sexual encounters. He could have faced a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Prosecutors said the victim and her family signed off on the plea calling for a 12- to 15-year sentence because they did not want to relive the attacks if the case went to trial.
But after she learned the terms of the deal, Judge Yvonne Mims-Evans called attorneys to the bench and told them she could not accept the deal because it was too lenient.
"I have a responsibility not just to the victim, but to the community," Evans told the attorneys and families on both sides of the case.
Later, Nichols' attorney said he was disappointed.
"It was shocking to all the parties for this not to be resolved. I think they were waiting a long time for this day, for it to be resolved," John Ross said.
Prosecutors declined to comment on Evans' decision, but said they will try to bring the deal before another judge in February.
Previous Stories: October 14, 2009: Prosecution: Teacher Coerced Son's Girlfriend Into Sex Acts October 2, 2009: Teacher Accused Of Rape Makes Court Appearance October 1, 2009: CMS Teacher Charged In Rape Of Teen
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