Former teacher gets probation for molesting student
A former Lake County teacher was sentenced to 30 months supervision and 18 months of electronic home monitoring for molesting a middle school student in 2010, a judge ordered Thursday.
Under the negotiated sentence agreement, Nicole Jacobsen, 43, of Barrington, also was sentenced by Judge Victoria Rossetti to 200 hours of community service and was she ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years, defense attorney Greg Nikitas said.
Jacobsen, who was formerly a teacher in Diamond Lake Elementary District 76 near Mundelein, has until March 30 to turn herself in to authorities to be fitted with an electronic home monitoring device, Nikitas said.
She pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal sexual abuse Sept. 17. Additional charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.
Had the case gone to trial, Jacobsen could have been sentenced up to seven years in prison. After the plea deal in September, she was facing a maximum prison sentence of three years.
Jacobsen pleaded guilty to placing her hand on the genitals of a 14-year-old eighth grade student at West Oak Middle School in May, 2010. Allegations against Jacobsen surfaced when a social media message she sent to the victim was found by a member of the victim's family. That family member took the message to school officials, who called police, authorities said.
Jacobsen initially denied sending the message, authorities said, but later admitted to sexually abusing the teen.
District officials initially suspended Jacobsen, then fired her after an investigation was complete.
The case against Jacobsen has languished in court for nearly five years after numerous delays and attorney changes.
“There were a lot of interests that needed to be balanced in this case,” Nikitas said. “The prosecutor worked with us to make sure that was accomplished.”