A former California teacher who made national headlines when he left his job and family to move in with an 18-year-old student was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexually abusing a different student more than a decade ago, police said.

Christopher Hooker, 41, was arrested at his home and booked in Stanislaus County Jail on one count of oral copulation with a minor.

Police said the abuse occurred with a 17-year-old girl in 1998 when Hooker was a teacher at Davis High School in Modesto. The girl was a student at a different school, police said.

In a statement, police said Hooker befriended the 17-year-old. The department did not immediately return a call seeking clarification of how the two met.

Hooker appeared in court Friday. A judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, set his bail at $50,000 and assigned him a public defender, the Modesto Bee reported (http://bit.ly/HooJV2).

Hooker requested that his bail amount be reduced, and the judge set a hearing for Tuesday to consider the matter.

Police said the investigation started after Hooker announced his relationship in February with Jordan Powers, whom he taught at Enochs High School in Modesto.

Hooker has three children, including one who was a junior at Enochs.

The underage victim was discovered in the course of that investigation, police said.

Appearing on numerous national talk shows and in news interviews, Hooker and Powers maintained they didn’t have a sexual relationship until she turned 18, but police are still investigating whether there was inappropriate contact before that.

In interviews for the “Dr. Phil’’ show and ABC’s “Good Morning America,’’ the couple can be seen holding hands and exchanging smiles.

Powers’ mother, Tammie, confronted the couple on “Dr. Phil’’ and accused Hooker of brainwashing her daughter.