(Radio Iowa) – A former southeast Iowa middle school teacher is being sentenced after sending improper messages to a student six years ago. Forty-two-year-old Zachary Barr of Ottumwa will serve a pair of five-year concurrent prison sentences after pleading guilty to enticing a minor and sexual exploitation by a school employee. In 2018, Barr, then a sixth-grade teacher at Evans Middle School, sent illicit messages to a 13-year-old girl. As part of the investigation, officers took control of the girl’s social media accounts. Their conversations with Barr became overtly sexual, prompting his arrest.

In addition to his prison time, Barr will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.