Former teacher Maris Nichols back in Douglas County custody
Former Douglas County teacher back in jail
Former Douglas County teacher Maris Nichol has been indicted by a grand jury for sex with students and multiple other charges. She has also been accused of violating her bond conditions. She is now back in jail after a new arrest warrant was issued.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - The Douglas County teacher accused of repeated sexual misconduct with multiple high school students has been indicted by a grand jury this week.
Maris Nichols indicted
What we know:
Former Alexander High School teacher Maris Nichols faces 27 counts including child molestation, grooming of a minor, electronic distribution of obscene materials and sexual exploitation of children.
Alexander High School in Douglas County
The court documents detail explicit encounters with at least seven students between January and May. Prosecutors allege Nichols engaged in sexual intercourse, filmed explicit videos with a minor and sent nude photographs to teenagers.
It remains unclear how many total students may have been impacted beyond the students identified in the indictment.
Alexander High School accusations
The backstory:
The 25-year-old Nichols was initially arrested on May 8 and released on a $40,000 bond after being charged with two counts of sexual contact. Investigators later uncovered additional victims, leading to a second arrest on May 20 and a total bond increase to $74,000.
As part of that bond, the former biology teacher was required to stay away from the alleged victim, avoid Alexander High School, have no contact with unrelated minors, undergo a mental health evaluation and remain on house arrest except for approved activities.
Maris Nichols (Douglas County Schools)
During a 27-day period, authorities say Nichols committed 38 home curfew violations and 47 inclusion zone violations. In addition, investigators uncovered additional allegations of criminal conduct.
Nichols was arrested again on May 20 on a wave of new charges. Despite prosecutors arguing she should remain behind bars, she was granted an increased bond. Tightened bond restrictions were put into place, including an absolute ban on internet access, social media and any contact with minors except her own 6-year-old daughter.
According to the warrants, detectives repeatedly referenced claims that students threatened to expose an alleged OnlyFans account in exchange for favorable grades. Investigators sought extensive records from the platform, including account information, communications, uploaded content, payment records, IP addresses and earnings data.
Maris Nichols (Douglas County Schools)
New arrest warrant issued
What's next:
On Wednesday, authorities issued a new arrest warrant ordering law enforcement to return the former educator to jail without bond.
As of early Thursday morning, jail records indicated Nichols was back in custody with an arrest date of June 25. Bond was listed as $0.
Maris Nichols (Credit: Douglas County Sheriff's Office)
Nichols is currently scheduled to appear in court for a motion hearing at 9:30 a.m. on June 29. Her arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Aug. 4.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from court documents and authorities, who detailed the grand jury indictment, listed the specific criminal charges and detailed the subsequent bond violations committed by the accused. The original story was updated Thursday morning with the information that she is back in custody.