GEORGIA TEACHER ALLEGEDLY HAD SEX WITH STUDENTS
Maris Nichols, 25, a former science teacher at Alexander High School in Douglas County, Georgia, was indicted on 27 counts over allegations that she had sex with and sent explicit material to teenage students. Search warrants described by the New York Post also said she allegedly kept an OnlyFans account while working at the school, and that students who knew about it allegedly blackmailed her for better grades.
The counts are allegations, not convictions.
The Post, citing court documents and WSB-TV, reported that the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office served more than a dozen warrants in the case. They went to Nichols, Snapchat, OnlyFans, AT&T and multiple students and families.
One warrant allegedly described a video of Nichols having sex with a student while she wore a sweater that read “Jesus Loves You.” Investigators were also seeking surveillance footage from a golf course where she allegedly met a teen, plus genetic material and fingerprints from two students.
Authorities said the case involved six children, four of whom were identified as Alexander High School students. Nichols was a graduate of Liberty University, a private evangelical Christian school with a strict policy against sex outside of marriage, the Post noted.
How the case unfolded
Nichols was first arrested and booked on May 8, 2026. The Georgia Gazette‘s booking record listed the initial accusation as sexual assault by a person with supervisory or disciplinary authority. The Post reported that case centered on alleged sexual contact with a student in a classroom closet and in a parked Hummer.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that warrants alleged she had sex with a student in a school closet on April 23 and in a driveway on May 2. They also alleged she had sex with another Alexander High student in the back of his truck at St. Andrews Golf Club on May 3.
The warrants, which spanned January to early May, further alleged that she sent nude videos and pictures and exchanged inappropriate messages with teens. They said she used the phrase “she liked him” while grooming one student. Investigators also alleged she pressured a student to delete their communications shortly before her first arrest.
The Douglas County School System said it began an investigation promptly after learning of the allegations, Savannah Morning News reported.
About two weeks after the first arrest, on May 21, 2026, additional charges involving five other students were filed, including child molestation, grooming and evidence tampering. Nichols was then released on a $74,000 bond. The conditions barred contact with minors other than her own daughter and required electronic monitoring.
On June 23, 2026, prosecutors moved to revoke that bond. Atlanta News First reported that they alleged she violated her conditions 85 times in 27 days. Their motion said: “The Defendant’s bond conditions clearly limited her movements to approved activities, including employment, religious services, attorney visits, medical appointments, and court appearances.” CBS Atlanta reported that the alleged violations included trips to retail stores and fast-food restaurants, and that prosecutors argued she posed “a significant threat to the community.”
A grand jury indicted Nichols on 27 counts on June 24, 2026, WRDW/WAGT reported. 11Alive listed them as eight counts of sexual contact by an employee or agent in the first degree and two counts of attempting it. The rest were five counts of sexual exploitation of children, three of cruelty to children, three of grooming a minor, four of electronically furnishing obscene material to minors, one of child molestation and one of criminal attempt to commit tampering with evidence.
She was booked at the Douglas County Jail and appeared before a judge on June 25, 2026. She was told a Superior Court judge could set bond, and she was back in custody without bond, according to CBS Atlanta.
CBS Atlanta reported that Nichols pleaded not guilty to the new felony charges. On August 6, 2026, 11Alive reported that she waived a scheduled bond hearing and would remain in jail while the case moved toward trial.
