A California teacher and wrestling coach was arrested Wednesday for allegedly molesting 25 student athletes on the school's wrestling team.

After a three month investigation, Torrance High School teacher Thomas Joseph Snider, 47, was charged with 33 felony counts of lewd acts on a child and eight misdemeanor counts of child molesting, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Snider's bail was set at $900,000. He has pleaded not guilty.

The 25 students who came forward were all members of the school's wrestling team, said Torrance police Sgt. Paul Kranke. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 16 and the alleged misconduct occurred between September 2013 and January 2015, according to the criminal complaint.

According to Torrance police Sgt. Paul Kranke, the investigation was launched in January "after allegations of sexual misconduct had been made by several students," reports ABC 7 Los Angeles.

Following his arrest, the Torrance Unified School District released a statement saying that Snider was placed on unpaid leave.

Snider, who is set to appear in court Monday for a bail review hearing, is facing over 37 years in state prison if he is found guilty.

However, Elba Ruiz, a 43-year-old parent of a student at Torrance, said the allegations are hard to believe.

"He's a nice person," she told the Los Angeles Times. "He was my son's teacher and he never said anything to me that would make me think he would do something like this."

Snider's lawyer maintains that his client is innocent and that the longtime educator has been "extremely cooperative" with authorities during the investigation.

"He categorically denies any merit to any criminal charges he may face," said attorney Rosty Gore, adding that the investigation and charges have taken a toll on Snider, who began working for the school district in 1990.

"His life is now being basically destroyed. They have been truly suffering because of these false claims," Gore said.