SANTA ANA – A popular Santa Ana High School science teacher was arrested Friday on suspicion of having sex with a 16-year-old female student, police said.

Alvar Albert Gonzalez, 45, of Santa Ana was arrested Friday on suspicion of possessing and producing obscene matter and unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, a Santa Ana police statement said.

He and the girl, who was not identified, met when she was a student in one of his classes, said Cpl. Anthony Bertagna of the Santa Ana Police Department.

Gonzalez and the girl are suspected of having sex around nine times during school lunch breaks in 2013. The incidents were never reported.

In 2014, Gonzalez allegedly kissed a second female student, and was placed on administrative leave when the Santa Ana Unified School District became aware of the incident in December.

The district promptly notified the Santa Ana Police Department and Gonzalez was then removed from the classroom and barred from all district school campuses.

He had been a teacher at Santa Ana High since 2001, according to Deidra Powell, chief communications officer for the district. He has since been fired, she said.

“He was never allowed back in a classroom after that,” Powell said.

During an investigation, images of young-looking girls were found on Gonzalez’s media storage device, including some with the then-16-year-old girl from the year before.

Investigators are looking into if Gonzalez was involved with other underage girls.

If anyone has information on the case or suspect Gonzalez had contact with additional students, contact the Santa Ana Police Department at 714-245-8542.