MONAHANS, TX (KWES) - A Monahans teacher was arrested Thursday after authorities determined she had "engaged in an improper relationship" with a student, police said.
An officer observed Imelda Portillo Dominguez, an employee at the Monahans-Wickett-Pyote Independent School District, with the student Wednesday night in the 300 block of Quela Street, according to a press released issued by the Monahans Police Department.
Authorities said the officer was responding to a "suspicious vehicle call" and saw the pair in a parked vehicle around 9:00 p.m.
An investigation revealed the teacher had engaged in an improper relationship with the student, police said, and an arrest warrant was promptly obtained for Dominguez.
She surrendered herself Thursday at the Ward County Jail, officials confirmed.
Dominguez works as a Spanish teacher at Monahans ISD and studied business at Sul Ross State University, according to information shared publicly on her Facebook profile.
Her social media page states she began working at the school district in August 1994.
Superintendent Kellye Riley placed Dominguez on administrative leave pending an investigation by Monahans Police and the Texas Rangers, authorities confirmed.
Anthony Gonzales, a sophomore at Monahans High School, described Dominguez as a "really cool teacher" and said he was "very surprised" when he learned about her arrest.
"I wasn't expecting anything like this," he said Thursday afternoon. "We were just in class with her this morning."
Investigators could not confirm how long the suspected improper relationship had gone on for.
It remained unclear Thursday night if the encounter on Quela Street was the first time Dominguez had been with the student outside of school.
