A former Dallas County Schools employee is facing up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of having sex with a student.

Victor Milhouse, 34, was arrested in September 2015 and charged with second-degree rape and school employee engaging in sex with a student under 19 years old.

Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson said Milhouse was convicted of second-degree rape after a Dallas County jury deliberated for 30 minutes. The trial started Monday in Circuit Judge Don McMillian’s courtroom.

Milhouse was a custodian at Southside High School at the time of his arrest. Authorities found out Milhouse had sex with a 15-year-old female student when it was reported by her mother.

Sgt. John Treherne with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said in 2015 the relationship was reported after the victim found out she was pregnant.

“We took a statement from her, and she gave me the guy’s name,” Treherne said in a 2015 report. “We contacted him, and he came up here this morning. In a statement, he admitted to having sexual intercourse with her.”

The incident did not happen at the school and took place several months earlier in May. According to court documents, the incident happened at an RV in the Beloit area.

At the time, Milhouse had been employed with the county school system as a custodian for three years.

Jackson said Judge McMillian ordered a presentence investigation and report and set a sentencing date for Jan. 29. Jackson said Milhouse could be sentenced up to 20 years behind bars. Second-degree rape is a Class B felony.

The school employee engaging in sex with a student under 19 years old charge was dismissed. Jackson said it was dismissed because he did not want the defense to delay the case.

“We dismissed it because we didn’t want the case continued again to wait for the Alabama Supreme Court to rule on whether the school employee statute is constitutional,” Jackson said.

“Defense attorneys across the state are getting cases continued until this issue is resolved.”

Jackson said defense attorneys in similar cases are arguing that a custodian should not be included under the statute because the law is designed to punish teachers who are in an authority position over students.

“We didn’t want to put the victim through another possible continuance on the rape [charge],” Jackson said.

Jackson said Milhouse was fired from his job with Dallas County Schools after his arrest.