LEBANON, Va. (WJHL) – A former teacher at Lebanon High School has pleaded guilty to attempting to take inappropriate photos of female students.

A release from the Russell County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office states Christopher Nicholas Conley pleaded guilty on Thursday to two counts of “Attempting to Unlawfully Video/Photograph Images of Another’s Intimate Parts or Undergarments.”

The release states Commonwealth’s Attorney Zack Stoots presented evidence at a hearing, stating the investigation began when authorities learned Conley had been messaging a female student on Instagram when he was still employed at the high school.

Prosecutors said the investigation discovered Conley had been in communication with multiple female students on social media accounts through a cell phone. According to the release, a search warrant for the phone was obtained.

Investigators reported finding “four up-skirting photographs” when the phone was searched.

The Russell County Sheriff’s Office identified two female students from the photos and determined they had been taken in 2013 in Conley’s classroom, according to Stoots’s office.

Conley was allowed to remain on bond, under the condition that he not be active on social media or have any contact with any of the alleged victims. He is set to be sentenced in Russell County Circuit Court on Jan. 11, 2024.

Stoots thanked the Russell County Sheriff’s Office for investigating and working with the Virginia State Police, as well as his office. Stoots also thanked Russell County Public Schools for its cooperation in the investigation.

“Our office will continue to work together in these investigations with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police, and other agencies to ensure that Russell County is a safe place for our children to learn and thrive,” Stoots said in the release.