UPDATE: Dan Hussan was found guilty on all counts. The verdict was announced Thursday night, July 28, 2016.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
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“He started making sexual comments to me.”
The words of a sobbing 17 year-old girl, recalling what Dan Hussan said to her two years ago.
“He whispered in my ear how he couldn’t wait until I was 18.”
Detailing times for the jury she felt uncomfortable around her 9th grade English teacher.
“He said he wanted to have sex with me in the back closet of the classroom.”
The student testified that Hussan, a teacher at Westwood High’s Marine Oceanographic Society branch had gotten close to her, buying her gifts, including a workout shirt, and a Christmas angel ornament, that was shown to the jury.
“What you’re going to go hear is that this defendant lured them, he systematically groomed them," said prosecutor Linda Baldree in her opening statement.
Hussan’s defense team claim their client has been falsely accused.
"In an instant a group of girls get together and they’re talking and things grow and innocent actions suddenly become lewd and lascivious actions," said defense attorney Karen Tufte.
The first witness, who now goes to school in another county, claimed Hussan also inappropriately touched her on several occasions. The jury was shown a picture by a second student that showed Hussan with his hand on the other students thigh while the three were riding in his car.
During cross examination, the defense brought up a number of inconsistencies between the two students’ testimony Tuesday, and their depositions from last year. Among them, the second student previously denied Hussan had ever done anything "outstandingly wrong."
The trial continues Wednesday.