Crime & Courts

Soldotna teachers union president charged with sex abuse of minor

A former Soldotna teacher and current president of the Kenai Peninsula teachers union is accused of sexually abusing a student for more than two years.

Nathaniel Erfurth, 34, was arrested Saturday on a felony charge of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor and a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree sexual abuse of a minor. As of Monday morning, he remained jailed at Wildwood Pretrial Facility.

Erfurth most recently taught history at Soldotna High School but for the last two years was on a full-time release from teaching as he served as president of the Kenai Peninsula Education Association, according to Clayton Holland, superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

Soldotna police investigated Erfurth twice during the last six years due to reports of inappropriate behavior with the student, according to a sworn affidavit signed by troopers Investigator Samuel Webber and included in charging documents. No charges were filed as a result of those investigations.

In early April, the woman reported to Soldotna police that Erfurth had a sexual relationship with her that lasted over two years when he was a teacher and she was a student, the affidavit said. She said she knew him for several years before the relationship became sexual, according to the affidavit.

The woman confronted Erfurth about the relationship in a recorded conversation last month, and he expressed frustration that she had written about it in a journal because “it could lead to him spending years in jail,” Webber wrote. Police said they obtained a warrant to record the conversation.

Investigators did not find evidence that Erfurth has abused any other minors, troopers said. They asked anyone with information that could help the investigation to call 907-262-4453.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is conducting an internal investigation into Erfurth’s behavior and evaluating his employment status, Holland said. He has been banned from school property since officials became aware of the criminal investigation, the superintendent said. Officials at the school are working with law enforcement, he said.

Messages left for the union were not returned Monday.

Tess Williams

Tess Williams is a reporter focusing on breaking news and public safety. Before joining the ADN in 2019, she was a reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Contact her at twilliams@adn.com.

ADVERTISEMENT