MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – Thursday morning, Splendora High School went into a secure mode after reports surfaced of a violent altercation between a student and a teacher.
A short time later, a teacher was taken into custody and charged in connection with the incident, which investigators later described as a “hoax.”
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Authorities said it involved a self-inflicted wound with a sharp object by the teacher.
Nicole Truelove, 53, has been charged with filing a false report and felony tampering with evidence.
Additional images of Truelove were provided to KPRC 2 by Grizzy’s Hood News.
2017 case involving Truelove
This is not the first time Truelove has been involved in a high-profile incident.
In 2017, KPRC 2 reported after she publicly came forward as an alleged victim of sexual assault while working as a teacher inside the Ferguson Unit, a state prison near Huntsville.
2017 ARTICLE: Teacher raped by 4-time felon after class at Ferguson Unit, attorney says
On Thursday, officials confirmed to KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding that the situation involved the same woman.
Truelove said a four-time felon attacked her inside her classroom after hiding behind a door.
She claimed he grabbed her by the hair, slammed her against the door, and raped her. According to her account, there were no guards or cameras present at the time.
She said the incident happened after she had previously written the inmate up for inappropriate sexual behavior in class.
At the time, Truelove expressed frustration that no charges had been filed in the case weeks after the alleged assault.
“I have done everything everyone has asked me to do for the last month, and nothing has happened,” she said.
Federal court filings indicate that the man accused of the sexual assault filed a complaint against her in response, saying she “deliberately and intestinally” advised law enforcement with “misleading information.”
The inmate involved in the incident was acquitted on aggravated sexual assault charges but was found guilty on assault on a public servant and retaliation charges related to the incident.
Truelove sued the State, and a settlement was reached.
Truelove’s previous arrests
According to Texas DPS records, Truelove was arrested on theft charges in both March 1990 and April 1991. She was sentenced to 180 days of probation in both cases.
A mugshot of Truelove wearing apparent inmate clothing was dated 2015 on the Texas DPS website, but it’s unclear if that image was related to a new situation, as no arrests after 1991 were listed.
Truelove’s teaching history
According to the Texas Education Agency, Truelove teaches social studies for grades 8–12.
Law enforcement officials said she had worked in Splendora ISD for one year and is still listed as a teacher on the school’s online staff directory.
According to records, Truelove has held teaching positions in Livingston ISD, Shepherd ISD, Houston ISD, Coldspring Oakhurst CISD, and Splendora ISD dating back to 2010.
Truelove also taught at Livingston High School in 2010, Shepherd High School from 2014 to 2016, Madison High School in 2021, and Coldspring-Oakhurst High School from 2022 to 2025.
KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding spoke with a senior at SHS, who said she had never interacted with Truelove but had seen her lose her patience with students before.
“I’ve never talked to her, but I have seen her yell at a couple of kids in the hallways, telling them things,” the student said. “It was just getting onto them about like being in the hallways or IDs or something like that.”
Thursday afternoon, KPRC 2 learned that the TEA had opened an investigation against Truelove.