When Montgomery Township High School teacher Michelina Aichele was suspended with pay for allegedly sending nude photos of herself to a 17-year-old student, she offered a possible explanation, authorities said.

Michelina Aichele

"While collecting her belongings, (Aichele) made statements about students possibly gaining access to her cellphone and sending nude photos of herself previously saved onto her phone to themselves," police wrote in a criminal complaint obtained by NJ Advance Media.

Aichele, 29, of Hillsborough, was arrested Oct. 5 and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She was released after two days in jail pending court hearings.

Aichele has not responded to several requests for comment.

An English teacher at the school for six years, Aichele is accused of sending the teen - who had been her student since last year - nude photos of herself and of having sexually explicit conversations with him online, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

A fellow student "reported to school administration that she was aware of an inappropriate sexual relationship that took place between" Aichele and a male student, according to the criminal complaint.

School officials immediately questioned Aichele and the student, who both denied a relationship. But then the school called local police and the student started talking, according to the complaint.

In a taped statement, the male student told investigators Aichele sent him four photos of "her exposed bare breasts and buttocks" between February and April.

"He further stated that she sent him text messages through Snapchat, stating that she thought about him while masturbating," the complaint states.

Aichele used her school email address to send sexually explicit messages and asked him to take the "Rice Purity Test," which is designed to measure a person's sexual promiscuity, the complaint states.

"She took the test as well and shared her score with the victim through these same communications," according to the complaint. "In those emails (Aichele) also tells the victim she mapped out how to drive to his residence."

On the day of her arrest, school officials turned over to Montgomery Township Police incriminating emails between the student and teacher that were sent from the teacher's email account, according to the complaint.

At the time of her arrest, Aichele was making $72,500 as a teacher at the high school, according to state records.

Her LinkedIn profile, which was taken down after her arrest became public, stated she is a Rutgers University graduate who started teaching at the high school in April 2012.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.