Guilty! Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, Redlands, California (arrested July 2013)

NBC Los Angeles: 41 Sex Charges for Redlands Teachers Stem From Alleged Affairs With 3 Students -- Laura Whitehurst is accused of three sexual relationships with teen students, and investigators believe there may be more victims (July 9 2013)

A Redlands high school teacher [Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst] accused of having a baby allegedly fathered by a teen student pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 41 counts of sex and oral copulation with a minor ... She was charged Monday with crimes alleged to have involved the boy -- who was 16 when the relationship began, according to police -- and two other teen students who are now adults.​

 

CBS News: Laura Whitehurst Update: Calif. teacher accused of having student's baby re-arrested, faces more sex charges (July 9 2013)

Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, a high school teacher in Redlands, Calif. who allegedly gave birth to a baby fathered by her student, is now facing more sex charges, CBS Los Angeles reports. The 28-year-old Whitehurst was reportedly re-arrested Monday and charged with 41 felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation involving three minors. Her bail was raised from $25,000 to $750,000, according to Christopher Lee, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.​

 

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Former teacher pleads not guilty to multiple counts of unlawful sex with students (July 9 2013)

Laura Whitehurst, the former Citrus Valley High School teacher accused of having sex with students, pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday. ​

Whitehurst, who was most recently arrested and charged Monday, was arraigned by video at San Bernardino Superior Court ... Whitehurst is charged with 41 felony counts of unlawful sex acts with a minor "" 30 counts of unlawful sex with a minor and 11 counts of oral copulation of a person under 18, according to court records.​

 

Chicago Tribune: Redlands school officials delayed telling police of sex allegations: Redlands school district officials waited six weeks to tell police about allegations of a sexual relationship between a student and a teacher who later gave birth to his baby, according to records (July 9 2013)

Redlands school district officials waited six weeks to tell police about allegations of a sexual relationship between a teenage student and a teacher who later gave birth to his baby, according to court records. The Redlands Police Department said in a search warrant that school officials appeared to ignore state law, which requires educators to immediately report abuse allegations to authorities. The teacher, Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, was charged Monday with multiple sex crimes involving three boys who were her students.​

 

Daily Caller: UPDATE: Baby mama English teacher now charged with 41 felonies, two more affairs (July 9 2013)

Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28, was arrested last week on suspicion of having sex repeatedly with a student at Citrus Valley High School. She gave birth last month to a child fathered by the now 17-year-old student. After her arrest, two other former students came forward saying they had sex with her during her six-year tenure at Redlands Unified School District.​

 

Crime Voice: Redlands Teacher in Sex Scandal Faces 41 Counts (July 9 2013)

One week after a Redlands high school English teacher was arrested for unlawful sex with an underage student, 41 felony counts were filed by county prosecutors. Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28, was scheduled to appear in court today, Tuesday 7/9, to face charges ...​

 

Redlands - Loma Linda Patch: Alleged Teacher Sex Search Warrant Still a Concern for Redlands Unified School District (July 9 2013)

[Superintendent Lori] Rhodes issued a statement over the weekend denying the district deliberately failed to report concerns about Whitehurst and her sexual relationship with the 17-year-old father of her baby. Her statement was prompted by the emergence of a Redlands police search warrant and affidavit that names Assistant Superintendent Sabine Robertson-Phillips and Citrus Valley High Principal Bernard Cavanagh, who could not be reached to comment for this report.

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"Evidence from email communication and personnel files may show teachers, school administrators, and district administrators failed to report supected child abuse as mandated." Robertson-Phillips and Cavanagh questioned Whitehurst and her alleged student lover on May 16 and May 17 about their relationship, Povero stated in the search warrant affidavit. "Sabine Robertson-Phillips and Bernard Cavanagh both confirmed they conducted an investigation regarding Whitehurst's relationship with V-John Doe," Povero stated. "No report was made in May 2013 to CPS (San Bernardino County Child Protective Services) or law enforcement regarding Whitehurst and V-John Doe abuse."​

 

International Business Times: Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst: Teacher Gave Birth to a Baby Fathered by a Student, Faces 41 Sex Crime Charges (July 10 2013)

U.S. high school teacher Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst has been arrested after giving birth last June 18 because the child's father is a 16-year-old Citrus Valley High student. After the arrest last week, two more students bravely stepped forward to reveal that they also had sex with Whitehurst during her tenure for six years at the Redlands Unified District in California resulting to 41 sex crime charges. Det. Dominick Povero revealed on the search warrant that the high school teacher's relationship with the Citrus Valley High School student started after a Disneyland trip in July 2012. The teacher and student were involved in several acts of sexual intercourse even after the confirmation on the teacher's pregnancy. The warrant further stated the teenager student, now 17 years old, was present when Laura Whitehurst delivered the baby last June. After the student told his mother what happened, the concerned parent contacted the school district which filed a report about the incident to the Redlands police. The Redlands police are currently alleged of covering up the case on the teacher-student sexual relationship but the Redlands superintendent denied the accusation ...​

 

San Bernardino Sun: Redlands Unified superintendent acknowledges police probing district over Whitehurst case (July 12 2013)

"What we do know is this: The Redlands Police Department is conducting an investigation to determine whether the District acted properly at all times concerning the allegation involving former teacher Laura Whitehurst ... "Schools Superintendent Lori Rhodes mailed a letter to staff telling them that police are investigating the school district, denying any wrongdoing and asking them not to gossip.​

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Principal Bernard Cavanagh and Assistant Superintendent Sabine Robertson-Phillips interviewed Whitehurst and her alleged victim in mid-May, according to a court document, but did not report their findings to police until July 1, when the teen's mother told school officials of the suspected relationship. The district responded that the investigation did not generation a reasonable suspicion of abuse. The state mandatory reporter law requires school employees to report any suspected child abuse, including sexual, to law enforcement or Child Protective Services.

 

Someone's not happy with all the news coverage but apparently feels that others should take on the burden of shielding him from what he prefers not to read. Dude, just don't read it! One of the still-great things about America is that our press is able to provide us with all these details.

Redlands Daily Facts: Response to Whitehurst case is upsetting (July 12 2013)

Eight days of sequential front page Redlands Daily Facts headline coverage, complete with huge photos and unnecessary repetition of every salacious detail of the truly tragic Laura Whitehurst story? Is that what our little local 'small town' sometimes conservative newspaper has become, no better than the displays of trashy magazines we see in many of our stores? ...​

 

Daily Breeze: Laura Whitehurst case sparks discussion on sex abuse offenders, victims (July 25 2013)

Allegations against a former high school teacher from Redlands, Laura Whitehurst -- due in court Friday on 41 felony counts of unlawful sex acts with minor students -- and similar allegations against a San Dimas school aide have triggered a discussion on the psychology behind teacher-student intimacy. Why would an adult risk a career for relationships with teenagers? Could this crime be a sign of mental illness? How does this kind of crime affect male victims, if at all? ... "Usually these women have problems at home, in their personal lives ... whether it be with a husband, father or a past relationship," [Psychology professor Eric] Hickey said. "They need the emotional attachment and are willing to take the risk."​

 

Pasadena Star-News: Bail reduced for former Redlands teacher accused of sex crimes (July 26 2013)

San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Arthur Harrison also reduced bail from $750,000 to $500,000 for Laura Whitehurst, who had asked to be released on her own recognizance. Whitehurst, a 28-year-old Redlands resident, is scheduled back in court on Wednesday, when lawyers may discuss a plea bargain.A judge on Friday refused to release a former Redlands Unified teacher accused of sex acts with multiple students, one of whom police say fathered her baby ... [Deputy District Attorney Melissa] Rodriguez also told the judge there is a fourth possible victim but the statute of limitations has passed.​

 

Press Enterprise: REDLANDS: Bail reduced for teacher charged with sex with students (July 26 2013)

... a judge reduced [Laura Elizabeth] Whitehurst’s bail to $500,000 from $750,000. She remains in San Bernardino County jail.​

 

Redlands Patch: REDLANDS TEACHER SEX: Judge Denies Whitehurst Release, Bail Now $500,000, Prosecution Offers Deal (July 26 2013)

A Redlands high school teacher who is accused of 41 sex felonies in connection with alleged relations she had with three former students, including one she conceived a baby with, appeared in court Friday July 26 in San Bernardino. Superior Court Judge Art Harrison denied a defense motion to release Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28, on her own recognizance, and reduced her bail to $500,000.​

 

Crime Voice: Former Teacher Gets Reduced Bail in Sex Scandal Case (July 29 2013)

A bail reduction was granted to a former high school teacher who is accused of having sex acts with at least three under-age teenagers. Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28, who police say gave birth to a baby girl that was fathered by a 16-year-old student from Citrus Valley High School in Redlands, will return to court on Wednesday in hopes of striking a plea deal ... There are three apparent victims and, according to the District Attorney’s office, a fourth victim has come forward, but the statute of limitations had passed. There was no additional information about the fourth victim.​

 

Press Enterprise: REDLANDS: Teacher accused of sex with students back in court (July 30 2013)

Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, the Redlands teacher accused of having sex with three underage male students, one of whom police say fathered a child with her, is due in court Wednesday, July 31, for a hearing ... Meanwhile, the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office is reviewing a report from a separate Redlands police investigation to determine whether school district officials should be charged with failing to report suspected child abuse.​

 

Press Enterprise: REDLANDS: Ex-teacher pleads guilty to having sex with student (July 31 2013)

Former Redlands teacher Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst pleaded guilty Wednesday, July 31, to six felony charges after admitting to having sex with underage students. She will serve a maximum of one year in jail — a sentence the attorney for the teen who fathered Whitehurst’s baby called “a slap in the face of my client.” In agreeing to the plea bargain, Whitehurst, 28, admitted in Superior Court in San Bernardino that she had sex with three boys who attended Citrus Valley High School.

Detroit Free Press: Ex-teacher in Calif. pleads guilty to sex with teen (July 31 2013)

Kansas City Star: Calif. ex-teacher pleads guilty to sex with teen (July 31 2013)

 

Victim's attorney is not happy with the short sentence ...

L.A. Times: Teacher's jail term for having sex with boys 'shocking,' lawyer says (July 31 2013)

"This is a slap in the face to the victims," said attorney Heather Cullen, whose law firm represents the family of the boy who fathered a child with [Laura Elizabeth] Whitehurst. "This is a very short sentence for such crimes," Cullen said. "It's shocking anyone would face so little time for abusing minors. This is definitely being treated differently because they are boys and she is a woman." Cullen said her client and his family were aware a plea deal might be struck, but never thought it would be so generous.​

 

Daily News: Former Redlands teacher Laura Whitehurst receives 1-year jail sentence for sex with students (July 31 2013)

[Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst] is expected to be sentenced to 365 days in jail and five years probation, per the terms in her plea agreement, when she returns to court on August 28 ... [Attorney James] Gass said the victims ages factored into the deal. One of the counts she pleaded guilty to occurred in 2007 when Whitehurst was 23 and the victim was a 16-year-old student at Redlands High School. Gass said the age differences weren't vast and Whitehurst wasn't targeting young children. "She was not charged with doing anything against anyone's will or by force," Gass said. Whitehurst's parents ... are taking care of their six-week-old granddaughter, according to Gass, who added Whitehurst will seek custody when she finishes her sentence. ​

 

KTLA: Fmr. Redlands Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sex Crimes With Students (July 31 2013)

Laura Whitehurst, 28, struck a plea deal with San Bernardino County prosecutors in which she admitted guilt to unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation of a person under 18. Under the agreement, Whitehurst will spend a year in county jail, according to prosecutors. She was also placed on five years’ probation and will undergo counseling. She must also register as a sex offender for life.​