ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A former St. Clairsville teacher and coach could spend more than 13 years in prison after she pleaded guilty Tuesday to nine counts of gross sexual imposition.

Rachel Duncan’s sentencing was set for May 30. She faces a maximum of 18 months in prison on each count for a possible 13 and a half years if the sentences are ordered to be served consecutively. A pre-sentence investigation and victim impact statement were ordered.

Duncan, 35, of 109 Park St., St. Clairsville originally was charged with nine counts of sexual battery, but she pleaded guilty to amended charges. According to the Belmont County Prosecutor’s Office, the criminal conduct took place from January 2014 through May 2016. The victim was a player on the high school softball team Duncan coached and would have been a juvenile part of that time. However, Prosecutor Dan Fry has said the victim’s age makes no difference in this case, since Duncan was a person in a position of trust. The statute under which Duncan is charged covers issues in which the accused is a teacher, school administrator, coach or otherwise in authority.

Duncan was placed on leave from her job in the St. Clairsville-Richland City School District a year ago, when the allegations came to light. Superintendent Walt Skaggs did not return calls seeking comment about Duncan’s plea on Tuesday.

Evidence in the case was obtained through an examination of cell phones belonging to the victim and defendant. Forensic investigation uncovered 9,000 text messages between them that span a year’s time from spring 2015 to spring 2016.

Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Frank Fregiato said the damage done by the crime goes beyond the victim and defendant, noting such behavior deals a blow to the trust between local teachers and the community.

“Belmont County, Ohio, has fantastic school teachers. Ma’am, you have wrongly and unfairly cast doubt on their trustworthiness and have wrongly and unfairly tarnished all of their reputations,” Fregiato told Duncan. “You’ve also destroyed the tremendous trust that had been bestowed upon you. You are to educate and protect our children, not to have sex with them.”