A 33-year-old Mansfield ISD science teacher and coach faces charges of sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography after admitting to having sex with a 16-year-old former Alvarado ISD student in his vehicle, police said.

Jared Young, who taught freshman football and basketball at Legacy High School in Mansfield, was arrested on October 30. He confessed to driving from Burleson on October 25, picking up the girl at her home, and parking outside the Alvarado ISD administration building, where the encounter occurred, according to the Alvarado Police Department.

The student reported the incident to her guidance counselor last week. Young had worked at Alvarado ISD during the 2023-2024 school year, but his contract was not renewed; he had previously served as a special education aide in Mansfield.

Mansfield ISD placed him on leave and initiated termination proceedings after the arrest. A background check conducted before hiring showed no issues, the district said.

Investigators seized Young’s cellphones and identified a second Alvarado ISD student who received explicit texts and photos from him, though no meeting occurred. Police are not aware of any Mansfield students who were victims, but they are reaching out to the families of students that he may have come in contact with as the investigation proceeds. 

“This is something that took a lot of courage for this woman, young woman to do, to come forward and say something happened to me and it’s not okay,” said Lt. Casey Lopez with the Alvarado Police Department, Fox 4 KDFW reported. “A lot of these teachers, coaches, and trusted adult figures can fly under the radar for years without being caught.”

Authorities urged parents to discuss with their children any unusual contact they may have had with Young.

“Maybe talk with your child about the type of contact they had with him. Was he maybe hugging or initiating physical contact? Did he ever ask for personal information? Phone numbers, screen names, emails?” Lt. Lopez said, per Fox 4.

“There’s no telling how many more students are going to come forward,” Lopez said, per NBC 5.