A former Bellevue teacher was booked into King County Jail on Wednesday, Nov. 19 regarding an ongoing police investigation involving alleged sexual misconduct with a 16-year-old female student at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. Charges against the 47-year-old male teacher are pending.

The investigation involves whether the former drama instructor and yearbook advisor had sexual contact with a female student while teaching at the all-girls middle and high school in Bellevue.

Allegations initially surfaced in February of 2008 following the discovery of text messages he sent to the student. According to the search warrant, the girl’s mother alerted the school. School officials told the former teacher to cease non-school-related contact with the female student.

Seven months later, the mother of the girl discovered the relationship between her daughter and the former teacher had continued to progress. Forest Ridge officials alerted police and Child Protective Services.

The former teacher resigned on Oct. 15.