March 13--A former teacher from Barrington was sentenced to probation and home monitoring Thursday after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a Mundelein middle school student in 2010.
Nicole Jacobsen, 43, was also ordered to remain on the sex offender registry for the next 10 years, and to have no contact with the victim's family or with West Oak Middle School, where she was working at the time. She will be on probation for 30 months, 18 of them on home monitoring, Judge Victoria Rossetti ordered.
Jacobsen, who did not speak or show emotion during the brief hearing, pleaded guilty last year in Lake County court to one count of criminal sexual abuse and could have received up to three years in prison. She had faced a more serious charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse before agreeing to plead guilty to the lesser charge.
Jacobsen was a teacher who worked with learning-disabled students at West Oak when she was charged with fondling a 14-year-old male student in a classroom May 13, 2010, after a volleyball game.
An investigation was opened after the boy's older brother found messages on the 14-year-old's Facebook account between the boy and Jacobsen, including one from the teacher that read, "I love you and can't wait to see you," officials said.
Jacobsen resigned after charges were filed. She remained free on $500,000 bond while court hearings were delayed several times, with reasons ranging from time conflicts to medical issues.
While Jacobsen is on home monitoring, she will be allowed to leave home only for work, treatment and court-related appointments. Her lawyer, Greg Nikitas, said she has nearly completed a court-ordered sex offender treatment program. Also as part of her probation, she cannot seek employment as a teacher and must serve 200 hours of public service.
Jacobsen declined to comment after the hearing. Her lawyer said she is focused on mothering her high school-age children.
"I think there was a lot of balancing that went into resolution of this case. Prosecutors took into account the wishes of the complainant and his family as well as the impact to Miss Jacobsen and her family. We appreciated that," Nikitas said.
Assistant State's Attorney Victor O'Block also said the victim's family agreed with the sentence.
gtrotter@tribpub.com
