An Inland Empire teacher who faced 29 years in prison if convicted of 41 sex felonies with three former students, including one she conceived a baby with, pleaded guilty to six of those felonies Wednesday, encompassing all three alleged victims, and she now faces a maximum of 365 days in county jail.
Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28, of Redlands, also faces five years on felony probation, she must register a sex offender for the rest of her life, and she must forfeit her teaching credentials, a prosecutor said.
Whitehurst appeared in green inmate garb before Superior Court Judge Art Harrison in Department 22 of San Bernardino Superior Court, where she smiled nervously at times before a bank of video cameras, photographers and reporters.
Before her arrest on July 1, Whitehurst had been nursing the baby girl she gave birth to in June, shortly after the father, now 17, graduated from Citrus Valley High with the Blackhawks Class of 2013. Her other two alleged victims attended Redlands High and had relations with her when she taught at RHS.
Whitehurst's parents are caring for the baby now, and Whitehurst hopes to secure custody of the little girl, her defense attorney said.
Deputy District Attorney Melissa Rodriguez summarized the terms of the plea offer prosecutors made to Whitehurst:
"The terms of her plea agreement are that she will do 365 days in the county jail, she'll have five years of felony probation, one of the most significant terms is that she will be a registered sex offender for the remainder of her life, she will forfeit her teaching credentials, she will also have sex offender terms and conditions that include counseling. I believe that those are the major portions of the plea agreement," Rodriguez said, speaking to reporters in a courtroom hallway after Whitehurst's hearing.
"It's 365 days in county jail," Rodriguez said. "She does receive credits for the time that she has been in custody, and if and when she gets released on work release or anything like that, is up to the jails, it's up the sheriff's department, they're the ones that handle the custodies . . . she will have to serve time.
"The credits are however long she's been in custody since the time she was arrested. Those credits will all be figured out and determined at the pronouncement of judgment on Aug. 28."
Of the 41 original felonies she faced, Whitehurst pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and two counts of oral copulation of a person under the age of 18, Rodriguez said.
"The way that those counts worked are the first four counts were for victim number one, count 31 was for victim number two and count 32 was for victim number three," Rodriguez said. "So the plea does encompass all three victims. . . .
"This is an opportunity for her to rehabilitate herself. This is her one chance at doing that. . . . She is going to utilize all of her local time in that 365, so if she violates probation after that, as the court stated, she is looking at going to state prison."
Rodriguez said prosecutors conferred with Whitehurst's alleged victims, the three former students, who were ages 14 to 17 at the time of their relations with her.
"We talked to the victims in the case to find out what they would like to see happen in the case," Rodriguez said. "And the victims in this case want to move forward with their lives and this is a way for them to do that."
Whitehurst's defense attorney, James R. Gass of Redlands, also spoke to reporters outside Department 22 after his client's hearing.
"I'm happy that she's not going to prison," Gass said. Whitehurst faced a maximum sentence of 29 years behind bars if she'd been convicted of the 41 sex felonies she faced before her plea deal.
"That's a lot of incentive to plead guilty early and go ahead and take responsibility for what she did, and that's what she's done," Gass said.
Gass said he's spoken frequently with Whitehurst's family.
"I think their feelings are similar to my feelings," Gass said. "She made some big mistakes that have serious consequences . . . It's already public information that her parents are taking care of the baby right now."
In court Wednesday morning, Whitehurst may have smiled at times out of nervousness, not pleasure, Gass said.
"I think she's going to be relieved to at least have the biggest step of the hearing over with," Gass said. "And I think that when people are nervous in public sometimes they smile to avoid crying. . . . She's somewhat traumatized by what she's going through.
"She was nursing the baby when she was arrested," Gass said. "So she's not actually touched her since then. . . . It's a baby girl."
Gass said he may represent Whitehurst in custody proceedings. Whitehurst does want custody of the baby, Gass said.
Unresolved in the prosecution of Whitehurst is whether Citrus Valley and Redlands Unified School District officials are facing further scrutiny.
A July 3 search warrant and affidavit, filed by Redlands police Detective Dominick Povero and signed by Superior Court Judge Richard V. Peel, included a statement of probable cause that concluded in part:
"Evidence from email communication and personnel files may show teachers, school administrators, and district administrators failed to report suspected child abuse as mandated."
At a July 9 meeting of the Redlands Unified school board, president Donna West read a statement that emphasized in part, "For the sake of our district, our community, and the families involved, we need for all the facts to be brought to the surface."
To read previous Redlands-Loma Linda Patch coverage of the allegations against Whitehurst, click the following links:
Redlands Teacher Sex: Plea Deal Means One Year in County Jail, Attorney Says
REDLANDS TEACHER SEX UPDATE: Prosecutor Says There is 'Another Victim,' Attempts Were Made to Contact Teen Father of Her Baby
REDLANDS TEACHER SEX: Judge Denies Whitehurst Release, Bail Now $500,000, Prosecution Offers Deal
Redlands Unified School Board on Teacher Sex Scandal: 'We Need All Facts Brought to the Surface'
Redlands Teacher Sex Alleged: 'She's a Clean-Cut American Girl' Defense Attorney Says
Alleged Teacher Sex Search Warrant Still a Concern for Redlands Unified School District
REDLANDS TEACHER SEX: Whitehurst Now Accused of 41 Sex Felonies with Former Students
Redlands Unified School District Denies Deliberate Failure to Report Teacher-Student Sex
MORE TEACHER SEX ALLEGED: Former RHS Students Claim Sexual Acts with Laura Whitehurst in Her Car, Classroom, Apartment
ALLEGED TEACHER SEX VIDEO UPDATE: Redlands School District Issues Statement
UPDATE: High School Teacher, 28, Accused of Having Sex and Baby with Student, 16
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