Prosecutors have dropped criminal charges previously filed against former Whitewater High School teacher and assistant football coach Harry Heintz.

Heintz was charged in November with one felony count of sexual exploitation of a minor, as sheriff's deputies said he sent inappropriate text messages to a female student.

Thursday afternoon Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard confirmed that the charge has been dropped. He said once prosecutors were able to get the entire content of the text messages between Heintz and the student, the statements in question were deemed to be "taken out of context."

Ballard said the conversation was certainly "inappropriate" to have taken place between a teacher and student, but it didn't break any laws that he was able to find.

The investigation into Heintz began with an allegation that he sent a text message to a student at the school asking her to send him a nude photo.

In addition to serving as an assistant football coach for the Wildcats, Heintz also taught weightlifting and 10th grade World History classes at the school. He resigned just before the arrest came to light, school officials have said.