A former teacher at Coastal Christian School in Waldoboro has admitted to the sexual assault of a young student during her brief tenure at the school in 2016.
Nancy Leigh Ann Brann, 44, pleaded guilty to one count each of class A gross sexual assault and class C unlawful sexual contact, both felonies, during a hearing at the Lincoln County Courthouse in Wiscasset on Feb. 4, according to Assistant District Attorney Matthew Gerety. A sentence hearing has been scheduled for March 26.
Gerety described the upcoming hearing as an “open” sentencing, when the judge will impose a sentence after hearing arguments from the defendant and the state. The sides have not agreed to a minimum or maximum sentence.
Brann’s case had been scheduled for jury selection the day of her plea.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office arrested Brann in December 2017.
Brann allegedly assaulted the student at the private school on North Nobleboro Road in the fall of 2016, according to a press release from Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Michael Murphy at the time of her arrest.
School officials did not know about the incidents until their notification by investigators, according to the press release. The school had dismissed Brann shortly after the assault for “unrelated issues.”
The school’s headmaster at the time said Brann worked at the school for about five to six weeks and was dismissed because the classroom situation wasn’t going well. The arrest followed more than a year later.
Brann turned herself into Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset on Dec. 21, 2017, according to the release. She was arrested by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detective Scott Hayden and released on $10,000 unsecured bail.
A Lincoln County grand jury indicted Brann in November 2018.
