A former Soldotna High School teacher and union president was sentenced to 77 years and one month in prison Thursday morning in Kenai. Thirty-seven-year-old Nathaniel Erfurth was convicted this summer of sexually abusing and exploiting a former student while she was still a minor.
Although sentenced to more than 70 years, a majority of that sentence was suspended. Erfurth’s active jail time is 20 years and one month. And he’ll be eligible for parole before then. The sentence falls between what the two sides asked for. State prosecutors wanted Erfurth to serve a minimum of 30 active years, while the defense requested seven-and-a-half years.
It’s been about four months since Kenai jurors found Erfurth guilty of 28 of the 46 criminal counts he faced in the case. After weeks of testimony, evidence and arguments, jurors deliberated for multiple days before returning their verdict.
Superior Court Judge Kelly Lawson says parts of the case have been difficult for her while she deliberated sentencing. But she says other parts weren’t so difficult – like the integrity of the judicial process.
“Despite the letters and continued claim of innocence on behalf of the defendant, I have no reason to doubt the jury's decision,” she said.
Lawson explained the court’s effort to ensure a fair and impartial jury. The process included mailing questionnaires to potential jurors, interviewing them over multiple days and then selecting a group of people both lawyers agreed on.
During the trial, Kenai District Attorney Dan Strigle argued Erfurth groomed and took advantage of a vulnerable student to start a sexual relationship with her. He argues Erfurth exploited his high standing in the community and his parental role in the student’s life, which should be considered during sentencing.
“The impact overall on the community is extreme,” Strigle said. “People have to send their children to schools. People have to send their children to teachers. And they need to trust those teachers to care for their children, because it is a substantial part of that minor’s life.”
But Erfurth and his lawyer say he’s a victim of false allegations. They say the former student has a pattern of manipulation and compulsive lying.
Ahead of sentencing, Erfurth’s lawyer compiled a hundred-plus-page document of sentencing examples in other second-degree sexual abuse of a minor cases. The packet also included letters of support from Erfurth's friends and family and the defense’s proposed sentence. They asked for leniency from Lawson and for her to consider Erfurth’s past life of public service and the future of his two young children.
Eric Derleth, is Erfurth’s defense attorney. He says attention on the case will ensure a lifelong “scarlet letter” for Erfurth, regardless of a court sentence.
“Whatever modest freedom he'll regain will be hemmed in by supervision and practical barriers in our society that attach to this kind of offense and by a stigma that doesn't expire when the jail door opens,” Derleth said.
Since Erfurth’s arrest more than two years ago, he and his lawyer have maintained he is innocent of the state’s charges. Last week, Erfurth reiterated in court he should have been acquitted by jurors and said Strigle portrayed him dishonestly during the trial.
“He described years of conduct that simply did not occur, of intents that were never there, of secrets that didn't exist,” Erfurth said. “It's an insane – it’s been an insane couple of years to sit here and listen to my life rewritten so that a conviction could be obtained.”
Ahead of the trial, Erfurth filed a defamation suit against the former student, which was put on hold pending the outcome of his criminal case. Derleth said Thursday he’s asked the court to dismiss the defamation case.
Lawson, the judge, seemed to share the state’s concerns. When determining sentencing, Lawson said she weighed multiple factors, including Erfurth’s lack of a criminal record, jury aggravators, existing case law and Erfurth’s current conduct.
“The seriousness of the conduct here, the impact these crimes have on the community, his unwillingness to accept responsibility and his efforts to fault the victim support a requirement for isolation,” Lawson said. “Not only did the defendant take advantage of the victim and her particular vulnerabilities. It seems he used the vulnerabilities of those around her to further his influence.”
Lawson called the defense’s blame of the former student “misplaced” given the position of authority Erfurth held over her at the time of the abuse. And she gave Erfurth a harsher sentence for abuse that occurred in Soldotna High School.
“Schools are one of the few places in the community where parents should feel the most safe and secure when leaving their children in the care of other adults,” she said. “The defendant was a teacher and a leader in that community, he had the respect and confidence of the victim, and he abused her trust, her mother's trust and the community's trust.”
After Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Erfurth’s attorney said in a statement they plan to appeal the case.
“Following today’s sentencing, Nathaniel Erfurth maintains his innocence and continues to believe that serious mistakes occurred in his case,” he wrote. “He placed his trust in the jury and in the court system, and he now turns his focus to the appellate courts, trusting that the errors made at trial will entitle him to a new trial and a fair opportunity to clear his name.”
In his own statement, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Superintendent Clayton Holland called Erfurth’s actions a “serious betrayal of trust.” He wasn't superintendent at the time the abuse occurred, but said concerns were reported to law enforcement.
“Under the current administration, the district has strengthened boundary-crossing policies, clarified expectations, and implemented practices focused on prevention, accountability, and student safety,” he wrote. “The district remains fully committed to strong safeguards, mandatory reporting, and ongoing training. Student safety has been and will remain the highest priority.”
Erfurth’s sentence of 77 years and one month correspond to separate counts of abuse, including at his home, a tiny house on his former property and his classroom at Soldotna High School. He was sentenced to an additional month for each of the remaining 25 counts.
Upon his release from prison, Erfurth will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and undergo sex offender treatment, among other things.
