It is enough to let the jury make the decision on whether the contact occurred. steamy messages from his phone to hers and vice versa. sex noises from car. kissing can be sexual contact. add it all up and I can see letting a jury decide. That doesnt mean it has been proven, but means there is enough to let them decide. Jurors have to agree. lawyers argue. if you were on jury you could have said it isnt enough. not vote to convict. hang the jury. if that happens they let him go or retry him.

gotta go. gotta game.

This case was heard in Washington County court. Washington County Oregon is just west of Portland and the population is fairly family oriented. I live in this county and I was called once to jury duty. I was dismissed because the defense attorney was a personal friend of mine. Darn it. It was a murder trial and I really wanted to see my buddy in action.

Hard to fill a jury with pedophile coaches

Allegedly. Due process only works if it applies to the most vile, too.

Jail bait
 

This is true in Texas. It is against the law for a teacher/coach to have an "inappropriate" relationship with a student. It matters not how old the student or the teacher is. Our youngest teachers can be 21 years old and a majority of seniors turn 18 before they graduate (you can stay in school until you are 21 in some cases) so it is watched closely.

I agree, and was being a bit snarky. I'm not saying he didn't deserve due process. Just that he seems to have gotten it to the best of our (society's) ability.

A few centuries ago, when I was in HS back in the Chicago area, there was a student in my class who was dating a teacher. She started seeing him in her sophomore year. She was 16. Everyone knew about it, and we knew better than to "tease" her brother about it because he was a pretty tough guy.

She turned 18 her senior year, they got married and she dropped out with only a few months until graduation. He continued to teach there for at least 5 more years, but then I left the area so I don't know what happened after that.

I actually worked at the school (after it happened) where the lawsuit in Texas originated. Everyone in town knew about it -- school personnel, the mom, etc. and apparently no one was too concerned (he was 26, she was 17). Then he broke her heart and all of a sudden mom decided to sue. The law not only serves to punish bad behavior but because it is constantly hounded into us in trainings and meetings its also serves as a reminder.