A former special education teacher at a school in Madison County, Alabama, was indicted on student sex charges Thursday.

According to the court records, 22-year-old Lyndsey Sherrod Bates had sex with a 17-year-old male student and also send explicit photos to two students including the 17-year-old. The age of the second student was not known. Officials, however, confirmed that both the students did not attend the special education classes. Bates was taken into custody earlier this year.

At the time of her arrest, the accused was the daughter-in-law of a chief deputy for the Madison County sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office, which was investigating the case, said the relationship “in no way has affected the investigative process or urgency leading to the arrest, nor to the future criminal justice proceedings.”

However, following the arrest, Andrew, Bates’ then-husband filed for divorce and said they were “incompatible.” The two got married in May last year and they legally separated in July.

Meanwhile, the accused was indicted on five criminal charges Thursday including “engaging in a sex act with a student younger than 19.” She was also charged with “distributing obscene material to a student and having sexual contact with a student.”

Defense attorney Robert Tuten said, “She’s looking forward to clearing this up and having her day in court.”

Bates is out of jail on bail and was scheduled to appear in court in February 2020. She could face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.

woman in handcuffs
23-year-old Sabita Dookram was arrested for allegedly throwing her newborn baby outside a bathroom window. Getty Images/John Moore
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