By Holly Fesperman Lee

Salisbury Post

Tony Helms told jurors Friday that Laurie Mendiola started threatening to tell school officials about their affair when he refused to give her preferential treatment at West Middle School.

Mendiola was leaving school early during her planning period and asking for smoking breaks during the day in 2004, Helms said.

He said he told her she couldn’t keep leaving school early, but she continued to threaten him.

Most of the time, Helms said he granted Mendiola’s requests because he didn’t want her to tell Superintendent Dr. Wiley Doby or his assistant superintendents about their relationship.

Mendiola, 42, is suing 64- year old Helms, the former West Rowan Middle principal, and the school board. She says Helms forced her to have sex with him and the school board knew about the situation but didn’t investigate.

Helms also testified Friday that he tried to conceal their relationship by lying to school officials and encouraged Mendiola to keep the affair a secret.

“Did you rape Ms. Mendiola?” attorney Todd Paris asked.

“No, I did not,” Helms replied.

Helms said several times during his testimony Friday that he never forced Mendiola to have sex.

He also gave a different account of several events Mendiola testified about earlier in the trial.

In September 2003, Helms said he told Mendiola he was going to Chapel Hill for a conference, and the two decided she would meet him there.

When he checked in, he told the front desk clerk he was expecting a visitor that evening.

When Helms got out of his meetings in Chapel Hill, he said he went back to his motel room, and Mendiola was already there.

He said he was glad to see her, and they hugged and kissed.

“Did you make love to her that night?” Paris asked.

“Yes, I did,” Helms testified.

Paris asked again if Helms forced her to have sex.

“No,” he said.

When she testified earlier in the trial, Mendiola said she couldn’t remember if the two had sex. She also said she left Chapel Hill because she got very nervous and scared.

Helms testified Friday that he discovered two other Rowan-Salisbury principals were staying in the same motel, just two doors from his.

Paris asked Helms if this was a concern for him.

“It certainly was,” he said.

If the principals saw him with Mendiola, they could have told system administrators. Consequently, Helms testified, he suggested Mendiola return to Salisbury.

She didn’t really want to leave, but they talked some more and she decided to go home, he said.

“We kissed goodbye,” Helms testified.

Mendiola had testified about a time Helms came to her apartment, saying he pushed her down and forced her into sex.

Helms admitted the two had sex during that visit but gave a different account.

Later in the evening, as he he was preparing to go home, Helms said he walked onto the patio. Mendiola followed him and they began kissing in the dark, Helms said.

Then, “it became a little bit more than that,” Helms said.

When Helms started to leave the apartment, Mendiola was crying and wanted him to stay, he testified.

Mendiola also testified that Helms came to her home unannounced on a Sunday evening and brought dinner with him.

Helms said he called first and asked her if she wanted him to pick up dinner.

She said yes, and “we watched TV and ate pizza,” he testified.

Helms testified he never came to her apartment without calling her first.

As the relationship went on, Mendiola continued to ask if the two could go out to dinner or a movie together.

Helms testified that he took Mendiola to Winston-Salem, and they had dinner at the Olive Garden restaurant.

“It wasn’t safe in Salisbury for us to do that,” Helms said.

Mendiola also testified about Helms coming to her apartment when she was sick and out of work. She testified she told him not to visit when he called, but he did anyway and forced her to have sex.

Helms said he did call Mendiola when she was out sick. He asked if she wanted lunch and suggested soup, but “she said ‘No, I’d like to have something from McDonald’s,’ ” he said.

Helms brought her a hamburger, and she let him in her apartment.

Paris asked Helms if he intended to have sex with Mendiola.

“No,” he said.

But once the two started kissing, he said “one thing led to another…”

Afterwards, Helms said Mendiola again started crying and didn’t want him to leave.

He said she wanted him to stay and comfort her because she was sick. He explained to her that he had to go back to school, but said he called later to check on her.

Paris asked Helms if he ever discussed marriage with Mendiola.

Helms said the two discussed marriage and he told her they would get married if something happened to his wife.

Mendiola knew his wife, Judy Helms, was very sick, he said.

He testified that he told Mendiola he would not leave his wife while she was sick.

During some of those discussions about his wife’s health, Helms testified that Mendiola said, “I’ll just get some of my boys to go out and take care of her.”

Paris asked Helms what he thought that meant. Helms said he didn’t take Mendiola seriously but he thought she meant she would have friends kill his wife.

Helms again testified that he told her he wouldn’t leave his wife while she was sick and that he’d hurt her enough already.

During cross examination, B. Ervin Brown, Mendiola’s attorney, asked him about his affairs before his relationship with Mendiola.

Helms admitted he had one prior affair with a teacher at Corriher-Lipe Middle School.

As attorneys were finishing their questions, Soo asked Helms again about Mendiola’s threats to tell school officials.

“Ms. Mendiola had you over a barrel by the end of your relationship?” Soo asked.

“Yes she did,” Helms replied.

“And you had a hand in putting yourself over that barrel?” he asked.

“Yes,” Helms replied.

Contact Holly Lee at 704-797-7683 or hlee@salisburypost.com