A Southern California high school teacher was arrested on unlawful sex charges on Monday two weeks after giving birth to a baby that was allegedly fathered by a 16-year-old student.
Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, a 28-year-old teacher at Citrus Valley High School, was arrested Monday night after police received a tip from the boy's mother and contacted officials at the school, reports Associated Press.
The sexual relationship began last summer and continued for nearly a year when the victim was 16, police said. Whitehurst gave birth to the child June 18. The boy is now 17.
The popular English teacher was taken into custody on suspicion of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and was released after posting $25,000 bail Monday evening, reports the NBC Los Angeles.
"One thing led to another, and he ended up at her residence, and it's been going on, going for approximately one year now," Redlands police Cmdr. Shawn Ryan said according to NBC.
"She was open with her pregnancy. I don't know what her story was to everybody else, but it was an open pregnacy," Ryan added. "The school district knew about it."
At an afternoon news conference, a police spokesman issued a brief statement from the school district, which stated that the teacher had been placed on leave after police were notifed of the allegations. Whitehurst was not named in the statement, and the district said it would not comment at this time.
"The district takes this arrest very seriously," the statement read. "Our heart goes out to the victim and his family."
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
