A veteran teacher at a prestigious New Jersey magnet school has been charged with carrying on a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student and sending her explicit emails. Bergen County prosecutors say 65-year-old Dr Donald DeWitt was arrested Monday and charged with attempted sexual assault, child endangerment and criminal sexual contact. The prominent human sexuality and biology teacher at the highly competitive Bergen County Academies in Hackensack was being held on $300,000 cash bail Tuesday. He has been ordered to have no contact with the victim. Disgraced: Dr Donald DeWitt, 65, a veteran teacher at Bergen County Academies in New Jersey, has been charged with attempted sexual assault, child endangerment and criminal sexual contact . According to prosecutors, the victim's sister discovered DeWitt’s raunchy emails and told their mother, who then called police, reported NJ.com. When investigators came to interview the 16-year-old girl, she allegedly admitted to her relationship with the married teacher nearly 50 years her senior. On Thursday, DeWitt, one of the founding members of the renowned school, was suspended from his $105,000-a-year job and banned from campus, pending the completion of the investigation. Educator's downfall: The married father of one allegedly tried to have sex with a 16-year-old girl and sent her lewd emails, which were later discovered by her sister . According to his page on Bergen County Academies' website, DeWitt got his bachelor's degree in zoology, master's in biology and a PhD in cardiovascular physiology from the University of Michigan. For a time, he taught human physiology and chemistry at Stevens Institute of Technology. In 1992, DeWitt became one of the first teachers to join the Bergen County Academies' full-time staff. Over the years, he has emerged as one of the leading figures at the top-ranked school, teaching numerous human sexuality, biology, anatomy and physiology classes to juniors and seniors. DeWitt's former students described him as a tough grader but an inspiring and innovative educator who steered teenagers towards careers in medicine and science. Sachin Jain, a 1998 graduate of Bergen County Academies who went on to become a physician in Los Angeles, told NorthJersey.com news of DeWitt’s arrest devastated him because to most students, he was a brilliant and challenging teacher. According to online records, DeWitt lives in Warwick, New York, with his 63-year-old wife. School sex scandal: DeWitt was one of the first teachers to join the faculty at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack in 1992, teaching numerous classes of human sexuality, biology and anatomy .
Dr Donald DeWitt, 65, veteran teacher at Bergen County Academies in New Jersey, charged with attempted sexual assault and criminal sexual contact.
DeWitt, who is married, has been at the top-ranked school since 1992, teaching biology, physiology and anatomy to juniors and seniors.
Prosecutors say DeWitt's lewd emails to 16-year-old victim were discovered this week by her sister.
DeWitt has been suspended from his $105,000-a-year job and banned from campus.