MERCED, Calif. – A California teacher faces multiple charges after he was allegedly busted having sex with a student “around the corner” from the Merced County Sheriff’s Office last week.

Merced deputy Sgt. Delray Shelton was returning to work around 4:45 p.m. Friday when he noticed a young woman in the driver’s seat of a Toyota pickup with her back to the steering wheel and stopped to check out the situation, the Merced Sun-Star reports.

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The vehicle was parked near the Merced County Courthouse “just feet from the (sheriff’s) department headquarters,” KFSN.

“I went to make contact and observed an adult male and younger female in the truck,” Shelton said.

The 16-year-old Merced High School student initially told Shelton she came to the park to play Pokemon Go and her partner, 30-year-old physics and chemistry teacher Blia Yang, and he fell asleep, according to the Sun-Star.

“Evidence inside the truck, however, led Shelton to believe the two were engaged in inappropriate sexual activities,” the news site reports. “Upon further investigation, Shelton said, the 16-year-old admitted to an ‘ongoing sexual relationship’ with Yang, her teacher.”

“We believe the relationship had been going on for at least a month, but the case is still under investigation,” Shelton said.

The officer arrested Yang on counts of oral copulation with a minor and sexual intercourse with a minor, KFSN reports.

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Yang denied the sexual relationship and was booked into Merced County Jail around 7:30 p.m. and was released after posting bail a short time later. The Merced County Sheriff’s Office then turned the investigation over to Merced Police because the alleged incident occurred in that department’s jurisdiction.

“It was pretty brazen out in public like that,” Merced Police Sgt. Curt Gorman told KFSN. “There’s a lot of background and history that needs to be done in regards to this case.”

“We’re going to make sure no other students have been taken advantage of by this person,” he said.

Several parents and relatives of students at the school who spoke with the Sun-Star were understandably troubled by Yang’s arrest.

“This is scary,” grandmother Mercy Kendall said. “It bothered me all night.”

Kendall said she considers Merced High School a “safe” place, but was “disappointed” by the incident.

“I tell my granddaughter, ‘Be careful,’” she said.

Gina Mosia, mother of a sophomore at the school, said the incident illustrates why it’s critical for parents to watch their children closely.

“It’s something I wouldn’t want to happen to my kid, a boy or a girl,” she said.

Merced Union High School District officials placed Yang on administrative leave when notified of the arrest by law enforcement, according to Ralph Calderon, assistant superintendent for human resources.

“Protecting the health and safety of our students is the top priority of the Merced Union High School District,” district officials wrote in a statement.

Yang – who taught physics, Advanced Placement chemistry, and other classes at Merced High School over the last five years – is originally from Thailand and moved to Modesto, California as a child. He attended Modesto High School and earned his teaching credentials at California State University, Sacramento, the Sun-Star reports.