This from WANE-TV.com: HUNTINGTON COUNTY, IN – The jury found former Huntington University running coach Nicholas E. Johnson guilty of sexual battery Thursday night. Johnson was initially also facing a misdemeanor battery charge, but that was dismissed in June. He is set to be sentenced Oct. 17. Day two of the trial began Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The morning consisted of four witness testimonies given by the plaintiff’s roommate at the time of the alleged battery, Johnson’s wife, a Huntington detective, and an expert witness hired by the state— a sociologist who specializes in abuse in sports and coach-athlete relationships. Closing arguments began around 12:30 p.m. and lasted an hour-and-a-half. The state focused on the timeline of when they say Johnson pushed boundaries with the plaintiff while she was in a vulnerable state. They also pointed out the consistency of the alleged battery over the years and the power Johnson had over her as an authority figure. The defense focused on reasonable doubt and how they say the plaintiff’s account did not bring up force, which is needed to prove sexual battery. Before the jury began deliberation around 2:30 p.m., the defense filed a motion for a mistrial because the state made a comment about lack of evidence presented by defense and lack of testimony from Johnson. That motion was denied by the judge. The jury deliberated for nearly three hours before asking the judge to review the plaintiff’s 2.5 hour testimony from Wednesday. The judge granted that request. The jury reached a verdict around 9:00 p.m. Thursday night.
