A/N: This story will likely finish sometime before the end of the year as the trial wraps up. For those of you that have viewed the story to this point, I thank you for your reviews. Sorry for being away so long.
The trial resumed later in the week, and Alan Powers (not identified in the paper because of his status as a minor) and Jake both gave their testimonies.
"So how well do you know Mr. Ratburn?" said the defense attorney.
"I knew him for three years, sir. He was my teacher in third, fourth, and sixth grade." replied Alan.
"And when did you develop these "love feelings" for your teacher?" replied the attorney.
"Objection!" said the prosecutor. "So you're telling me that a 13-year-old boy is capable of soliciting a 40-year-old man for a sexual encounter? That is the most ridiculous line of thinking I have ever heard."
"In the sixth grade, you allegedly wrote a love letter declaring your "love" for Nigel Ratburn, correct?" asked the attorney.
"I did write a letter at the time. It was more poem-like." said Alan hesitatingly.
"What was the content of the letter?" asked the attorney.
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" asked Mrs. Powers.
"Mrs. Powers, please be quiet." rebuked the judge. Mrs. Powers sat down, arms folded as the cross-examination continued.
"Did you or did you not at the time have love feelings for my client?" asked the defense attorney.
"I did at the time, but I didn't know better. I was doing it as a prank, sir." replied Alan.
The attorney then presses him about his actions just days afterward, with the attempt to back the young man into a corner.
"Objection!" yelled the prosecutor.
"I'll allow it." replied the judge.
"Even if this young man did what he did with Mr. Ratburn, that is still statutory rape. Ratburn essentially forced himself on this young man and took his innocence." said the prosecutor.
"That's not...tr..." Alan tried to reply, but couldn't fight back the tears, as his eyes darted to the defense attorney, to his prosecutor, and the jury.
"He did! That man violated me and took my innocence and used it against me so that he could satiate his sick desires! I looked up to him as a teacher and as a father-figure, and he broke that trust, and then some." said Alan Powers through tears. His parents were in the gallery, wiping away tears as their son described his ordeal.
"Nigel Ratburn, I am sorry that I ever liked you at any point. You truly are a disgusting individual, using your position of power to take advantage of kids like me. I wonder how many other kids you have tried to molest." said Powers. "This horrible experience happened over the summer when I found his number...and then went over to his house..." Powers then broke down in tears.
(Defense attorney cross-examines Alan's actions in sixth grade, wondering if he was trying to force himself on Ratburn during the school year. The prosecutor objects, wondering why if Ratburn supposedly told Alan that he would not do ANYTHING with him, that he ended up doing what he did ANYWAY with not just Alan, but Jake as well.)
He also wonders why did Ratburn engage the boy in a sexual encounter over the summer after saying months ago that he would not acquiesce to the boy's affections. He states that Ratburn was witnessed in his vehicle grabbing the boy by the waist and doing things to him, then slapping the boy. The defense attorney and the prosecutor went back and forth and nearly had to be separated.
Without looking at Nigel Ratburn, Jake says he refused to press charges because he liked Nigel at the time, and even admitted to trying to seduce Ratburn more than once, but admitted that his actions were reprehensible and that he wasn't in the right state of mind, and also said that he was rebelling against his parents until he accepted Christ two months later.
Once Ratburn was arrested for his crimes, Jake said: "It was really hard to push it to the back of my mind, but once he got arrested and his face was on the news, it brought back all of those horrible memories of what he did to me." He continued, fighting back tears. "I was brainwashed and I let him take advantage of me. He is a very horrible man." Jake also said that he attempted suicide the day after Ratburn was arrested as part of the Dateline sting.
As far as Nigel Ratburn, he started his dirty and explicit chat in February 2008, and parts of the chat with a 13-year-old decoy, who was a PJ decoy, are REALLY disturbing. The man goes into sick detail about what he would do to the boy, and incriminated himself during the chat as well. Said chat was over 100 pages long. The prosecutor stated that the fact that he would be willing to go into such great detail to potentially molest a 13-year-old boy, was more than enough proof to lock him away for a good, long time.
All Nigel Ratburn could do was hang his head in shame. There was nothing he could say to defend himself in the eyes of the jury, the judge, the prosecutor, or the gallery. His life and career were over and his family wanted nothing to do with him.
He was a dead man walking and knew it was only a matter of time before he would potentially be serving the rest of his life in state prison. After a very tough and stressful day, the fourth day of the trial was over.
Soon to testify were Alan's mother, the principal and the superintendent. Before their testimonies in the morning, the judge would offer Nigel a plea deal, of which we will get into next time.
When the principal took the stand, he sat stone faced, staring down the shackled and handcuffed Ratburn, who couldn't even look him in the eye.
"So Mr. Haney. Tell me about your former colleague Mr. Ratburn." said the prosecutor.
"Well. He's a scumbag piece of garbage. He worked for this school district for 18 years and his good nature and kindness was nothing but an illusion and a facade." sad Haney.
"How would you describe him? Did he have any complaints against him?"
"Besides what I said before, no. He won teacher of the year three times. He WAS one of the best co-workers that I had in years before all of this came out." This sad excuse of a human being won't even look me in the eye because of how sick and disgusting he is." said Haney, pointing straight at Ratburn. "I am sorry that I ever vouched for you at any point in my life. I have four kids myself, and as a parent, I am HORRIFIED at the scumbag piece of shit that is across from me." he added.
"Mr. Haney, please refrain from vulgar language." said the judge.
Haney then went on to explain that if Ratburn had ever done what he did against one of HIS kids, then Ratburn would be praying for death.
Once Haney left the witness stand, his anger reached a boiling point. "You sick mother-" Haney tried to go after the handcuffed and shackled Ratburn before he was tackled and handcuffed, then led out of the courtroom by two sheriff's deputies.
The prosecutor then interviewed the superintendent who said he had no idea that Ratburn was hurting children, nor did he have any idea that the man had a sexual chat with an underage boy. During his testimony, one woman screamed: "You knew and didn't say anything! You're a liar!" before being escorted out of the courtroom.
One other protester yelled: "Shame on you for covering up this monster!" before she, too, was removed.
At first, it appeared the superintendent was going to possibly defend Ratburn, in light of his actions, but as the interrogation continued, the superintendent replied that had he knew that Ratburn was doing what he was doing, he would have fired him on the spot and revoked his teaching license. The superintendent didn't even look at Ratburn, even when Ratburn was sitting up and listening to him.
It turned out that Alan's mom's testimony was not needed, so Nigel Ratburn would get his turn at the stand.
Nigel Ratburn was called to testify regarding his actions between Spring 2006 and 2008. The jury sat steel-faced, looking at the disgraced former teacher. The parents were consoling the kids after their heartbreaking testimonies about how Ratburn took advantage of them.
(Ratburn gives his testimony in the witness stand about his career as a teacher, confessing to how he gave in, saying that the boys tried to take advantage of him and get him in trouble, but the story wasn't convincing to anybody. He was trying to make a case for being allowed out on bail (even at least on house arrest). Due to Alan and Jake being minors, they were not legally able to give consent to sex, even though they willingly performed said activity with Ratburn.
The verdict would come the following Monday. If Ratburn was convicted of the two first-degree felony charges, plus the chat would face anywhere from 10-40 years in the slammer.
Criminal Solicitation and Statutory Sexual Assault (1st degree felony) (Up to 20 years on two counts = 40 years and $25,000 fine)
Aggravated Indecent Assault (2nd degree felony) (Up to 10 years on two counts = 20 years and $25,000 fine)
Indecent Assault (1st degree Misdemeanor) (Up to 5 years on two counts = 10 years and $10,000 fine)
Engaging In Sexual Activity w/minor as teacher (3rd degree felony) (Up to 7 years on one count) = 7 years and $15,000 fine)
Ratburn was facing anywhere between 25 and 77 years maximum in prison (essentially a life sentence)
He would be offered the first of three plea deals by the prosecution before the verdict.
The first plea deal, which was offered earlier in the day, was if he plead guilty to four of the counts against him, he would be sentenced to 22 years in prison, and would be given credit for the time served towards his sentence, and would be eligible for parole after 15 years.
His defense attorney was pushing for conviction on two counts of the third degree felony, which would only give him seven years of prison time and make him eligible for parole after serving half the sentence.
