Middle-aged school teacher arrested for having sex with a 15-year-old girl who he thought was 19

A 57-year-old teacher from Utah has been arrested for having a sexual relationship with an underage girl, police say.

Joseph Scott Harris, who is a popular teacher at the Logan High School for the last 30 years, was held on Friday (16 February) after someone informed the police about a suspicious car in West Haven, north of Salt Lake City. When officers responded to the scene, they found Harris with a 15-year-old girl partially naked inside the vehicle, the Good4Utah.com reported.

Local media reports stated that after investigating the girl it was found that the man had met her online first. She said she had met with Harris, who is a skilled and technical sciences teacher, several times for sex since the beginning of the year.

The high school teacher's statement also matched with the girl's account. He claimed that he did not know the girl was underage, though accepted that she looked young. He added that he had met her at least three times for sex.

Harris is now facing a total of six charges, including unlawful sexual activity with a minor. He has also been suspended by the school district, pending the result of the investigation by authorities, which is underway.

The latest incident comes a month after another high school teacher from New York City was arrested for allegedly assaulting and performing oral sex on a teenage student.

Dori Myers was charged with two counts of a criminal sexual act in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child. The 29-year-old, who teaches social science at The New School for Leadership and the Arts in Kingsbridge, has also been accused of massaging the 14-year-old victim, which was witnessed by a fellow teacher.