A Chatham County school teacher who lives in Richmond Hill faces charges he sent texts of a sexual nature to one of his students.

Alan Otwell Toney, 43, was arrested Monday by Pooler police after a 13-year-old girl’s mother showed police the phone to which the texts were sent, Pooler Police Chief Mark Revenew confirmed.

Revenew said in an email Thursday the case remains under investigation.

Earlier, he told reporters that “while it’s important to clarify this is only an allegation, we take these types of complaints extremely serious and will continue to investigate it as thoroughly as possible. All of this will ultimately be presented to the district attorney’s office for review and any determination of subsequent prosecution.”

Toney, who teaches eighth grade at Georgetown K-8 School in Savannah, faces a felony charge of sexual exploitation of children and obscene telephone contact with a minor.

He has been removed from the classroom while the case is being investigated, according to Savannah-Chatham Public Schools System spokesman Kurt Hetager.

“This week we have been advised that an SCCPSS teacher, Mr. Alan Toney, was arrested after allegations of obscene telephone contact with a child,” Hetager said in an email. “The issue arose outside of the school and was reported to police.  SCCPSS is cooperating fully with all agencies involved.  Pending the final outcome of the charges or further action, SCCPSS has reassigned the teacher away from Georgetown K-8 into a non-classroom position in the district. ”