FARGO – The trial for the 2014 North Dakota Teacher of the Year accused of having sex with a student set to start Tuesday has been postponed until likely sometime this summer.
Cass County District Court Judge Steven McCullough agreed Monday to give West Fargo teacher Aaron Knodel’s defense attorney more time to secure a handwriting analyst that can rebut testimony from a second expert prosecutors added to their witness list earlier this month.
Defense attorney Robert Hoy previously argued that the prosecution’s first witness, a North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent, doesn’t qualify as an expert on handwriting.
According to the criminal complaint charging Knodel, the student provided the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation with a copy of a vampire-themed “Twilight” novel that contains handwritten notes, allegedly from Knodel, that refer to their relationship.
McCullough said Monday that attorneys should be ready for trial as early as mid-April when another case is slated to head to trial. If that trial is cancelled, the jury trial could begin then. If not, the trial for Knodel would likely not start until June or August.
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Knodel was charged Aug. 22 with five counts of felony corruption or solicitation of a minor. He’s accused of engaging in sexual acts in 2009 with a then-17-year-old student in his West Fargo High School classroom, at his home and in her car, starting in early 2009.
He pleaded not guilty Nov. 5 to all five felonies.
The North Dakota teacher licensing board has taken no action on Knodel’s license. The highly decorated teacher and academic coach was placed on suspension without pay or benefits from the West Fargo School District on Aug. 25.
