A former Thorsby High School teacher pleaded guilty to rape and sodomy charges on Thursday.

Jennifer Collins McNeill, 40, of Thorsby, appeared before Chilton County Circuit Judge John Bush shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Thursday for her plea hearing.

McNeill, a former Thorsby High School teacher, was indicted by a grand jury in February on six counts of rape in the second degree and two counts of second-degree sodomy.

McNeill allegedly had sex with a teenage boy who is between the ages of 12 and 16, according to court records.

As part of her plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to dismiss four of the counts in exchange for a guilty plea to three counts of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree sodomy.

Bush asked McNeill if some time within the last couple of years in Chilton County if she engaged in sexual intercourse and devious sexual intercourse with a male who was between the ages of 12 and 16.

McNeill responded to both questions by saying “yes.”

Once McNeill is sentenced, she will have to register as a sexual offender and could potentially serve up to 60 months in jail, according to Chief Deputy for the 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office C.J. Robinson.

McNeill was arrested in August 2013 after authorities obtained a warrant for her arrest due to allegations made regarding McNeill and a juvenile male.

At the time of McNeill’s arrest, Chilton County Schools Superintendent Dave Hayden confirmed that McNeill had been a sixth grade teacher at Thorsby, which is a K-12 school.

She had also been a cheerleader sponsor, he said.

McNeill was released from the Chilton County Jail in August after posting a $160,000 bond.

The Chilton County Board of Education unanimously voted on Oct. 10, 2013 to approve Hayden’s recommendation to terminate McNeill’s employment and to cease her salary and benefits immediately.

McNeill’s sentencing date is scheduled for July 24 at 8:30 a.m. at the Chilton County Courthouse.