Ex-Douglas County teacher accused of sex with student violated her bond 85 times, prosecutors claim

Prosecutors are asking a judge to revoke the bond of a former Douglas County high school teacher accused of having sexual contact with a student.

In a motion filed on Friday, prosecutors claim that Maris Nichols violated the conditions of her bond 85 times over the course of less than a month.

Nichols, a former teacher at Douglas County's Alexander High School, was originally arrested on May 8 and charged with two counts of improper sexual contact by an employee or agent/foster parent. On the same day, she was released on a $40,000 bond on the conditions that she stay away from the victim, their home, their family, and Alexander High School. Nichols was also ordered to have no contact with minor children she was not related to and remain on house arrest.

As the investigation continued, authorities eventually arrested Nichols again on May 20, this time charging her with eight counts of improper sexual contact by an employee or agent/foster parent, four counts of grooming a minor for a sexual offense, two counts of child molestation, and tampering with evidence.

Officials say she was then granted another bond of $74,000. This bond required her to have no contact with any victim or minors other than her own 6-year-old daughter. As part of the bond, she could also not have access to the internet or any social media.

In their motion, prosecutors say they received reports that Nichols had been seen in areas outside the confines of her bond conditions and asked for a report on her conduct.

"According to the compliance report, during a monitoring period of only twenty-seven (27) days, the Defendant committed thirty-eight (38) home curfew violations and forty-seven (47) inclusion zone violations," the motion reads.

The report showed Nichols went to retail stores, fast-food restaurants, and other locations that violated her bond conditions, prosecutors argued. Due to the alleged violations, officials are asking a judge to revoke the bond, saying they consider her "to pose a significant threat to the community," and risks either reoffending or intimidating witnesses.

"The Defendant's conduct while on bond demonstrates that no set of conditions will reasonably ensure compliance with the Court's orders or adequately protect the public," the prosecution wrote. "The Defendant has repeatedly violated the restrictions imposed by the Court despite being under active electronic monitoring."

A hearing on the motion is scheduled for next week.