A former Soldotna High School teacher and head of the local teachers union is facing 61 counts of sexual abuse of a minor and possession of child pornography following an indictment handed down by a Kenai grand jury last Wednesday.
Nathaniel Erfurth, who was arrested in May on two counts of sexual abuse of a minor, now faces 61 counts total, including 42 counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree, seven counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the fourth degree and six counts of possession of child pornography. Six additional counts are still pending.
The 37-page indictment, dated June 28, describes 74 counts leveled against Erfurth by grand jurors, however 13 counts were stricken by Kenai Superior Court Judge Lance Joanis.
At least 10 of the alleged crimes by Erfurth occurred at Soldotna High School, including in Erfurth’s classroom, while others allegedly occurred at Erfurth’s residence and the minor’s residence, the indictment says. The indictment says all of the alleged incidents occurred between September 2017 and September 2018.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District on Monday did not provide a comment on the indictment.
The case has been reassigned from Kenai District Court to Kenai Superior Court, which handles cases where indictments are handed down. Because the case is now under the jurisdiction of the Kenai Superior Court, Erfurth has a new arraignment hearing scheduled for July 11.
Alaska’s superior courts, among other things, serve as a trial court for criminal and civil cases, according to the Alaska Court System. District courts have a narrower scope of powers and hear, among other things, misdemeanor cases and first appearances in felony cases.
Erfurth’s lawyer, Eric Derleth, said in a June 22 statement provided to the Peninsula Clarion that Erfurth is “innocent of all charges” and being “falsely accused.” When contacted by the Clarion on Monday for an updated statement, Derleth’s office said his previous comments stand.
“Nathan and his family are confident that the evidence at trial will sustain and reinforce his excellent reputation and demonstrate to the community that he is innocent of all charges,” Derleth’s statement says.
The indictment comes two months after the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Soldotna Major Crimes Unit began investigating Erfurth for alleged sexual abuse of a minor. The investigation started after a woman reported to the Soldotna Police Department that she had been “sexually assaulted” by Erfurth, her former teacher, while she was a minor.
As part of their investigation, Alaska State Troopers monitored and recorded a conversation between Erfurth and the woman, during which the woman told Erfurth about a journal she kept, “in which she had written about their sexual relationship.” Erfurth then “expressed frustration and anger at the fact she had documented their sexual relationship and at how it could lead to him spending years in jail.”
When asked by the woman whether or not he “regretted sleeping with her,” the affidavit says, Erfurth said, “If this is how I’m getting repaid for it, yes.”
At the time of his arrest, Erfurth was on release from the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District while serving as the president of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association, a job he’d held since 2021. KPEA is the union that represents the school district’s certified staff. Before that, Erfurth taught history and government at Soldotna High School.
KPEA’s nine-member executive board voted unanimously on May 22 to remove Erfurth as head of the association. The school district fired Erfurth on May 24. Both entities said they were first made aware of the allegations against Erfurth in early April.
Prior to his May arrest, Erfurth had twice been investigated by law enforcement, in 2016 and 2017, for alleged misconduct involving the same student, although no charges were brought in either case, according to charging documents.
Erfurth was released on bail in early June. In addition to paying $35,000, he was ordered by a judge to house arrest and is being monitored with a GPS anklet. Erfurth is also under the supervision of a third-party custodian and is not allowed to be near minor children other than his own.
Under Alaska State Statute, both second- and fourth-degree charges of sexual abuse of a minor describe crimes committed by an adult against someone who is 16 or 17 years old while the perpetrator is at least three years older than the victim and occupying a position of authority over them. The charges describe sexual penetration and sexual contact, respectively.
In the State of Alaska, sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree is a class B felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Possession of child pornography is a class C felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Sexual abuse of a minor is a class A misdemeanor and punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a fine of $25,000.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
