AUBURN – The jury has been chosen in the trial of a former Auburn elementary school teacher accused last fall of sexually touching three female students.

Five women and nine men – 12 jurors and two alternates – will hear the case against James G. Raymond Jr., 27, of Auburn. Opening arguments are scheduled next Monday.

It took nearly and hour-and-a-half for the Androscoggin County Superior Court to choose a jury from nearly 160 possible jurors. Raymond, founder of the Central Maine Children’s Theatre Project and a once-popular music teacher in Auburn and SAD 52, is well-known in the community and his arrest has made headlines.

Nearly a third of the possible jurors said they’d read or seen news coverage of the allegations, knew Raymond or someone else involved in the case, worked in the same school system as Raymond or had another conflict. One woman said she was the teacher of one of the alleged victims. Another said she was an alleged victim’s aunt.

Of the 14 people chosen for the jury, two said they’d read newspaper coverage of the case or had seen it on TV. Both said the news coverage they’d seen would not sway their opinion and they felt they could be impartial.

Raymond was a teacher at Park Avenue Elementary and East Auburn Community schools when he was arrested Oct. 30, 2007. A 7-year-old Park Avenue student reported that Raymond put his hand under her skirt and touched her buttocks over her underwear during music class.

Raymond was suspended immediately and resigned a few days later.

According to a police affidavit, Raymond told an investigator that “there’s a little voice telling him” to engage in such behavior, and that he is attracted to girls in grades kindergarten to third grade. He also said a federal agency was investigating him for his online activity involving child pornography, according to the document, and his personal computer was turned over to that agency.

Raymond pleaded not guilty Jan. 16 and was freed on $5,000 bail with conditions that he have no contact with children under age 18, except family members, and not be on Auburn school property or attend school events.

In April, Raymond was arrested for twice having contact with children under 16 at a local Wal-Mart, a violation of his bail. Raymond was allowed to leave jail but was ordered to stay in his house 21 hours a day.

Raymond’s attorney, James Billings, and Assistant District Attorney Deborah Cashman both declined comment Monday.