REDLANDS, Calif., July 9 (UPI) -- A high school teacher in California was charged with 41 counts of felony sexual intercourse with three teens after giving birth to a baby fathered by one.
Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28, was arrested July 1 on suspicion of having sex with a student from Citrus Valley High School, starting when the boy was 16. She was released on $25,000 bond.
Now she faces 41 felony charges of sexual intercourse and oral copulation with the teen and two others who have since come forward, admitting they also had sex with the woman, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
"Students represent the future of our communities and protecting them will continue to be my No. 1 priority," San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos said.
Whitehurst was initially arrested after a 17-year-old student told his mom the English teacher gave birth in June to a baby he fathered. The mother contacted the school district, at which point police were notified.
Thirty of the counts against Whitehurst are related to her relationship with the teen, the Times said.
After her arrest a 20-year-old man came forward and said he had a sexual relationship with Whitehurst when he was 14 and she was teaching at Redlands High School, the newspaper reported.
A 22-year-old man said he also had sex with the teacher when he was a junior at Redlands. Both relationships took place from 2007 to 2008.
Whitehurst resigned her position at Citrus Valley after she was initially placed on leave.
