A Springtown ISD teacher is accused of having improper relations with a student for several years, according to the Parker County sheriff's office.
County Sheriff Russ Authier said Misty Lorene Cato, 43, allegedly abused the victim for several years in Parker and Tarrant counties, beginning when the student was 15.
The sheriff's office said Cato was placed on administrative leave after school officials became aware of the allegations.
Cato was a fifth-grade arithmetic teacher at Springtown Intermediate School and was contracted as a math teacher with the district when the offense happened, sheriff's officials said.
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"It is imperative that our children attend school in a safe environment," Authier said in a written statement. "Educators play a vital role in that safe environment and have a duty to protect our children."
He added that the student has been offered counseling at a location "where his healing can begin."
In an interview with investigators, Cato admitted having sexual relations with the victim, the sheriff's office said. Investigators also seized a recording in which Cato stated that she had been in love with the student for four years.
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Authier said Parker County Sheriff’s Crimes Against Children investigators will forward information regarding any crimes that were alleged to have happened in Tarrant County to investigators in that county.
Cato is being held in the Parker County jail on a charge of improper relationship between educator and student. Her bail has been set at $100,000.
NBC 5 reached out to Springtown ISD for a comment, but had not heard back as of 4 p.m. Saturday.
