San Diego
A San Diego teacher charged with raping a 22-year-old woman in his home was acquitted of all charges Monday after a jury deliberated less than two hours.
Joseph Wendall Adams, 54, who taught at Wangenheim Junior High School in Mira Mesa, shook hands with jurors after hearing he had been cleared.
Adams was accused of raping a woman with a learning disability while she was staying temporarily at his home in La Mesa last February. Although the case did not stem from his work, he was suspended without pay after his arrest.
According to court records, Adams has taught for 26 years in the San Diego Unified School District.
He also was cleared of attempted rape, attempted forcible oral copulation and false imprisonment charges.
Michael Berg, Adams’ attorney, said jurors told him they questioned the woman’s credibility after they learned that she spent the night in the teacher’s house after the alleged rape.
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