A former Dreyfoos School of the Arts teacher is back in court on charges that he intentionally drove into strangers' cars — including one carrying a nine-months-pregnant woman — after learning of a loved one's rumored affair.
Nathaniel Rayman, 50, had avoided formal charges since June, when a missed deadline by prosecutors prompted a judge to end the proceedings outright. Assistant State Attorney Elizabeth Neto filed new, upgraded charges in September, reviving the case and tripling the potential penalty Rayman could face if convicted.
His attorney, Scott Richardson, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Witness said teacher drove 'at full speed' toward cars
Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies say Rayman set out from his Royal Palm Beach home on April 5 in search of a woman he believed
had cheated on him. Asked later what he wanted to do to her, Rayman said "nothing" and that he wanted only "the dream" of "living together forever."
Deputies say that as he approached the intersection of Wildcat Way and Okeechobee Boulevard, next to Royal Palm Beach High School, Rayman encountered two strangers who, like the woman he sought, drove white cars. A witness said Rayman drove "at full speed" into each car, one after the other, before driving away.
Lentajia Lewis was behind the wheel of one car, with her 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son buckled in the back seat. None appeared injured, though Palm Beach County Fire Rescue drove Lewis to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach on account of her pregnancy.
As they did, Rayman continued on Wildcat Way, where he struck a stop sign, a mailbox and a cable box before returning home. Deputies found him there soon after with glassy eyes and a wrecked car. He said he has no memory of either crash.
Arrested Dreyfoos teacher says he 'lost his mind and his life'
In a recorded interview at Palms West Hospital, Rayman told deputies he "lost it" after learning of the alleged affair. He said he'd drunk six beers and had "never been in such a dark place."
Deputies recommended charges ofaggravated assault with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, third-degree felonies punishable by up to five years in prison each. Prosecutors, in their September filing, kept the hit-and-run charge but upgraded the other to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years.
Rayman is due back in court on Oct. 26.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. Reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: New charge for ex-Dreyfoos teacher who learned of affair and 'lost it'
