HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — A former Hastings High School teacher will stand trial on a charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child for an incident police say involved a student.

38-year-old Johnathan Shafer waived his preliminary hearing in Adams County Court on Friday.

Court documents say Shafer had a sexual relationship with a female student, who is now 18, beginning in 2012, when she was 15.

Shafer’s attorney, Kevin Knake, told the judge Friday that Shafer wished to waive the preliminary hearing and proceed to trial in district court because he wished to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

If convicted, Shafer faces 15 years to life in prison.