Beth Ann Chester

CORAOPOLIS — In October, a Pittsburgh-area high school teacher asked one of her students for a 14-year-old boy's phone number, police said.

Over the next three months, the 26-year-old sent the teenager nude pictures and salacious text messages, and ultimately confessed to having sex with him in her car in the school lot, authorities said.

On Monday, Beth Ann Chester, a health and physical education teacher at Moon Area High School, was in jail facing several sex abuse charges. Police say they will be adding several charges, including at least one felony.

The boy told police he had fallen in love with the married teacher, according to court papers. He denied having physical contact with Chester, except for a hug on the last day of school before winter break, police said.

The boy and Chester began exchanging text messages in October. That's when Chester, who also coached girls' volleyball, got the boy's phone number from a member of her team and sent him a text message about the result of a freshman football game.

The boy's parents discovered the suggestive text messages on Dec. 26. They arranged to meet with Chester at a mall coffee shop later that day. The boy's parents told the teacher they would not seek criminal charges if she resigned.

Chester tendered her resignation the next day, citing "personal reasons."

High school principal Michael Hauser found the resignation letter on his desk Dec. 28. He met with Chester to confirm her intentions and spoke to her again on New Year's Day, at which time she reiterated her intent to resign for personal reasons.

On Wednesday, another teacher told Hauser that the real reason Chester resigned was due to some text messages she had sent to a student.