Wichita Judge Advances Teacher's Felony Sex Trial

A judge in Wichita, Kansas, ruled this week that former high school art teacher Nicole Hernandez has enough evidence to stand trial on four felony counts of unlawful sexual relations with a minor. Hernandez, 30, who also uses the name Nikki Baird, was arrested on May 22 following a police investigation into her alleged relationship with a 17-year-old male student at Wichita North High School, where she taught until her removal from the staff.

The decision came during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, advancing the case toward an arraignment scheduled for December 19. Hernandez was released from custody shortly after her arrest on a $50,000 bond. Court documents, including an arrest affidavit, detail a pattern of grooming that allegedly began when the boy was a sophomore and continued through his senior year, escalating to sexual activity in early 2024.

According to the affidavit, Hernandez first taught the boy in middle school and later at Wichita North High. She reportedly befriended him during his sophomore year, gradually isolating him from peers through private classroom interactions before and after school hours. By his junior year, the interactions allegedly turned...