Gym Teacher Allegedly Sent Naked Pictures to Student Before Having Sex With Him in SUV

A gym teacher in upstate New York has been arrested and charged after she allegedly had sex with a 16-year-old boy in a car behind a hotel.

According to a press release from the New York State Police, Lindsey M. Halstead, 29, was arrested Tuesday on charges of sexual misconduct and endangering the welfare of a child.

Halstead, 29, had been employed by the Waterloo Central School District for four years, where she met the alleged victim. She was his physical education teacher during the 2017-2018 school year, but she resigned in February, before the year was complete, according to the Finger Lakes Times. She began working for another school district.

According to court records first obtained by The Post-Standard, Halstead reached out to her former student months after leaving the school he attended.

In an interview with police, the teen told police that he interacted with his teacher frequently on Snapchat. Within a few weeks, he alleges, she began to send him nude photos of herself — and asked him to send naked photos of himself in return. It is unclear whether he complied with her requests.

Later, the teen claimed, Halstead arranged to pick him up from a library in Waterloo, NY. She drove him to a nearby Hampton Inn, where they had sex in the backseat of her SUV, the boy told police.

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According to WROC-TV, police asked the boy about his demeanor after the alleged sexual tryst. “I was pretty quiet and I just said a few words,” he allegedly told authorities, before adding that Halstead seemed upbeat and happy after the incident.

Halstead allegedly continued to contact the teen on social media, including Snapchat and Instagram, the court records show. He eventually blocked her on all platforms.

“I was like, ‘This is weird,'” the teen told police. “Why is she still texting me?”

Police arrested Halstead on Tuesday.

According to online records viewed by PEOPLE, Halstead has been charged with one count of sexual misconduct for allegedly engaging in oral sex with the boy. She faces another count of sexual misconduct for allegedly having intercourse with him. She has also been charged with one misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a child, a result of the alleged naked Snapchat photos.

The Waterloo Central School Superintendent says that they have been cooperating with authorities. “The safety and security of our students is of utmost importance and all reports of any kind are treated seriously,” Terri Bavis said in a statement.

A state police spokesman told Syracuse.com that they believe there may be more victims. Police have released the woman’s mugshot in the hopes that other alleged victims will recognize her and come forward, the spokesman says.

“The investigation is continuing and additional charges are pending,” police say in a the news release. Anyone with information is asked to contact the State Police in Waterloo at (315) 539-3530.