ELIZABETH CITY

A former high school teacher charged in May with three counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor was arrested today on the same charges but a higher felony class, said Pasquotank County Sheriff Randy Cartwright.

Last week, a Pasquotank County grand jury returned bills of indictment against Charles Elsbury Whedbee, 41, who was a social studies teacher at Pasquotank County High School.

The bills of indictment were for three class F felony counts of indecent liberties and one count of statutory sex offense, Cartwright said. When he was originally charged in May, he faced three class I felonies, a lower felony class.

Bond for the new charges was set at $32,500, and he was being held at Albemarle District Jail.

Deputies began investigating the case after receiving information from several sources alleging an illegal relationship between the teacher and a 15-year-old student, the sheriff said.