CONROE – Authorities have arrested a man they say was having an improper relationship with a high school student.
Conroe police said officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call Sunday afternoon in the 300 block of Bryant Road.
Upon arrival, officers found two people inside the vehicle: 31-year-old Christopher Patterson and a 17-year-old girl who attends Willis High School.
Police said Patterson and the girl gave conflicting statements about why they were together.
During their investigation, police learned that Patterson is employed at Huntsville Memorial Hospital and is a contract employee at Willis High School as an athletic trainer.
Officials said the girl later indicated to Conroe police investigators that Patterson engaged in sexual contact with her.
Patterson was arrested and charged with improper relationship between educator and student.
His bond was set at $100,000.
WISD released a statement on the arrest of the contracted service employee:
"An employee of Huntsville Memorial Hospital working at Willis ISD under a Sports Medicine Athletic Training Service Agreement was arrested Sunday by the Conroe Police Department for an improper relationship with a student."
The district's superintendent Tim Harkrider also released a statement:
"We are deeply disturbed and dismayed by these allegations and will cooperate fully with the Conroe Police Department investigation. We want to assure the community that while the trainer was never an employee of the district, we did conduct our standard background review prior to the trainer's contact with our students."
Conroe PD said it is dropping the online solicitation charge because it doesn't meet the requirements of the statute since the victim is 17.
Officials say the suspect and student had been sending messages back and forth on social media for the past several months.