She sent pictures of her genitals to a 14-year-old boy.
Jan 5, 2008 - Beth Chester, 26, a 9th grade Moon High School gym teacher and volleyball coach, was arrested. She was accused of sending nude photos of herself and suggestive text messages to a 
14-year-old male student.
The charges are three counts of child sexual abuse, two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count each of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal solicitation. Police said they plan to file an additional charge of statutory sexual assault against Chester.
The boy's parents found the messages and met Chester Dec 26. She resigned the next day. Police found three photos Chester allegedly sent of herself -- two of them of her genitals -- to the student, as well as a nude photo the boy allegedly sent of himself to Chester.
School district officials contacted police Jan. 3 after other staffers suggested Chester might have had inappropriate contact with a student, police said.
The school district will notify state Department of Education this week, which is required by state law.
Full Name: Beth Ann Chester
ONLINE RESOURCE
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Jan 7, 2007 - Chester could face additional charges.
The boy, who is not being identified because of the nature of the charges, has told police he fell in love with Chester during a three-month relationship, which involved sexual text messages, but he has denied they had any physical contact other than a hug on the last day of school before winter break.A preliminary hearing was scheduled for today.
Chester, however, said she had intercourse with the boy, McCarthy said.“She admitted to us quite graphically what happened,” McCarthy said. “Perhaps he wanted to protect her. We’re dealing with a 14-year-old. This is typical of someone who’s a victim. He’s in love with this person and she’s in jail now and losing her job.”
Jan 11 - Cited in a CNN story on cellphones and e-mail used to seduce children. Preliminary now scheduled for Jan 22.
FIRED Jan 14 - Chester was fired from her teaching position as well as from extra-duty paid positions such as co-breakfast monitor, co-sophomore class sponsor and assistant volleyball coach. She had taught two years. Although she had submitted her resignation Dec 27, the school board — which had not met since her Jan. 4 arrest until last night — had not acted to accept it, keeping her on the district’s payroll until Monday.
Chester would write the boy late excuses and hall passes to allow them to spend extra time together. Since her arrest, the district has held assemblies for students and faculty to discuss student-teacher relationships.
WAIVED PRELIMINARY Jan 22 - Chester waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Barring a plea agrement, she will be going to trial. No date scheduled.
NEW CHARGES Jan 23 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Prosecutors added several charges, (actually they added five, including one count each of statutory sexual assault, indecent deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault and two counts of aggravated indecent assault) and withdrew three child sex abuse counts from the complaint.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: She faces six other charges, including two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, criminal solicitation and criminal use of a communication system.
(From the Tribune-Review:)Her attorney said she distraught and in counseling. She hid her face in a hood when she arrived and waited in a back room while her attorney met with the judge. She will be formally arraigned March 13.
LICENSE SURRENDERED April 3 - Chester surrendered her teaching license in lieu of discipline.
GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING August 20 - Chester pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility. She was sentenced to 1 1/2 to 3 years in jail - not prison - followed by five years of probation.
The boy's family would have agreed to a sentence that did not include jail time, had Chester not continued to contact the boy after she was arrested.
The judge also ordered she have no cell phone access and mental health counseling. He prohibited her from further contacting the student, which she had done several times after being released on bond, prompting a judge to place her on house arrest in April.
Her attorney said his client is separated and in divorce proceedings, mistakenly "looked at this group of students as her peer group."
