Des Moines Register

A Council Bluffs high school band teacher has been arrested on accusations that he engaged in sexual activity with one of his female students, who is now 17.

Frederick "Mark" Mendell, 56, of Crescent is charged with two counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee, according to a police news release. He was taken into custody Thursday at his home, after an investigation that lasted about a month.

Mendell taught band at Abraham Lincoln High School. Police said he and the student exchanged messages "professing their love for each other." Police said they learned from the student that the two had a sexual relationship, with some of those interactions happening at school, and that they stayed in the same hotel room during a college visit.

The student is no longer attending classes and has completed graduation requirements, police said.

The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reported that Mendell was placed on leave March 20 and resigned in early April. He had taught in the district for 30 years.

Court documents about Mendell's arrest were not immediately available, and it was not clear whether he had hired an attorney.