A former New Jersey teacher has been arrested over a sexual relationship she had with an underage student.
Lydia Pinto, 38, was arrested following allegations that she sexually assaulted a former student, according to Raritan Borough Police Department (RBPD) Chief Raymond Nolte.
Pinto is facing charges including first-degree aggravated sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said in a statement. McDonald also noted that the gym teacher was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Somerset County Jail ahead of her first court appearance.
The prosecutor's office's sex crimes and child abuse unit launched an investigation into Pinto on Oct. 16 after the Bridgewater Police Department passed along an anonymous email sent to them alleging an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and a former student, said McDonald.
Ten days later, members of the sex crimes and child abuse unit alongside investigators with the RBPD interviewed that student, according to McDonald.
During that interview, the former student said that they had a relationship with Pinto which "turned sexual when the victim was between the ages of 14 to 15 and continued until the victim's senior year of high school," said McDonald.
The two agencies then conducted further investigations into the matter, said McDonald, which ultimately led to the arrest of Pinto on Nov. 8. No further details are being released at this time and both the prosecutor's office and RBPD declined to provide further comment on the matter.
Pinto also worked as a driver's education teacher for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, according to a Facebookpost from last March. She also coached the Girls Lacrosse team for Bridgewater-Raritan High School, according to the school's website.
McDonald urged any individuals with information relating to the alleged sexual assault to contact his office's sex crimes and child abuse unit. Pinto was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing in this matter.
