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A former Provo High teacher charged with sexually abusing a female student has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Donald Nelson Bills, 54, was arrested in January and charged in 4th District Court with forcible sodomy and three counts of object rape, all first-degree felonies, and two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse.
Provo police have said that the alleged assaults took place at the high school, where Bills taught emergency medical technician courses. The incidents, involving a 17-year-old girl, occurred both during and after school hours over a two-week period in Janaury, police have said.
Text messages sent back and forth between the suspect and the girl were obtained by an unidentified third party and brought to the attention of police, sparking the investigation, police have said.
A jail probable cause statement alleges that Bills had admitted to the relationship in conversation with other faculty members and then later to police, after he came into the department's offices for questioning.
The girl also disclosed the alleged sexual contacts when interviewed by investigators, police said.
Bills, who is free on $20,000 bond, is scheduled to be back in court on July 3 for a pre-trial conference.
Bills was initially put on administrative leave, but Provo School District Spokesman Caleb Price on Thursday told The Daily Herald that Bills is no longer with the school district.