From the outside looking in, Cody Pester had it all.
A loving wife, a steady career as a teacher and wrestling coach at a school in Nebraska, and the recent arrival of baby boy Cyrus rounded out the wholesome family life many aspire to.
Yet while his unsuspecting spouse Olivia was juggling her own career and their newborn, Pester was allegedly pursuing a relationship with one of his own students who had just graduated from Palmyra Junior-Senior High School in Palmyra, about 30 miles west of Nebraska City.
The 27-year-old was arrested in January and is facing a charge of sexual abuse by a school official, an accusation that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Pester, who was the wrestling coach of the 18-year-old, pleaded not guilty last month and is out on bond while his criminal case continues.
The alleged betrayal looks to have been too much for Olivia, 27, who filed for a divorce from Pester in the weeks after his arrest, the Daily Mail has learned.
In court papers seen by the Daily Mail, Olivia formally filed for divorce from Pester just weeks after he was arrested earlier this year.
The two were married in June of 2023 and had their son Cyrus, one, in March of last year, the papers said.
The young couple are seen in a social media photo during happier days before the arrest. After Pester was arrested, Olivia filed for a divorce
Olivia, pictured here, formally filed to divorce Pester just weeks after he was arrested earlier this year
In her initial filing, a lawyer for Olivia asked the court to give her custody of their son and for his surname to be changed to her maiden name, Badami.
In a counter complaint, Pester conceded that their marriage was 'irretrievably broken' and that 'every reasonable effort at reconciliation has been made without success.'
He also asked the court to draw up a parenting plan in the best interests of his son, and requested that neither he nor Olivia should have to pay spousal support.
In April, Olivia was handed temporary custody, with Pester told he could have monitored visits with his son only on Saturdays.
He was also ordered, temporarily, to pay Olivia $769 per month as part of child support, the documents said.
Pester filed a response later that month asking the court to stop Olivia from being able to 'transfer, encumber, hypothecate, conceal, or dispose' of any property tied to them.
The judge overseeing their split has yet to rule on that motion, according to the divorce docket.
The Daily Mail has also obtained the probable cause affidavit compiled by Lancaster County Sheriff concerning the alleged abuse.
According to the affidavit, investigators were tipped off about the alleged abuse by a fellow school worker in December of last year.
Pester conceded that their marriage was 'irretrievably broken' and that 'every reasonable effort at reconciliation has been made without success' in a counter complaint he made
Olivia is seen here with their baby boy Cyrus, who according to the divorce papers was born in March of last year, just a few months before he is accused starting the relationship with his former student
Pester is pictured in his mugshot in January
The teenager was questioned in late January, and officers said in the affidavit she that she and Pester started a relationship while he was her wrestling coach.
She told officers that after she graduated in May of last year their relationship continued after the two agreed to be together.
According to the affidavit, the teenager told police that their relationship 'turned sexual in nature almost immediately.'
She said that on numerous occasions between July and August of last year he digitally penetrated her inside the parking lot of Star City Shores, a public pool.
Pester was subsequently interviewed and confirmed the relationship and the teenager's account of their interactions, the affidavit said.
He told police that the two engaged in sexual conduct twice in July of last year which extended to him digitally penetrating her and 'mutual oral sex' in the parking lot.
Phone records obtained by officers found that Pester and the girl started texting on the day she graduated in May of 2025.
Cops claim Pester and the teen went on to exchange about 13,000 text messages from the day she graduated to August 8, the affidavit added.
Pester is seen during his college years, as pictured on the Nebraska Wesleyan University 2020-21 wrestling roster
Pester taught sixth grade at Palmyra Junior-Senior High School
Although the graduate was not a minor, teachers are not allowed to have intimate relationships with students within 90 days of their graduation under state law.
After his arrest, Pester was removed from the classroom and from his coaching position at the school.
In a letter to parents, the school district said: 'We are writing to inform you that Cody Pester, a sixth-grade teacher at Palmyra Junior/Senior High School, was arrested this morning on suspicion of an inappropriate relationship with a former student.
'Upon receiving this information, the District immediately removed Mr Pester from all classroom and extracurricular duties, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement as they continue to conduct their investigation.'
Legal representatives for both Pester and his wife were contacted for comment.
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