Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28, was arrested on suspicion of having sex with a student by Redlands Police at about 8:45 p.m. Monday at her Redlands residence after being questioned. Whitehurst gave birth to a child police say was fathered by a teenage student.
Whitehurst was a teacher at Citrus Valley High School. She was placed on administrative leave by the Redlands Unified School District Tuesday following Monday's arrest. The district then secured her resignation.
Whitehurst was an adviser at Citrus Valley High School to the then-16-year-old boy, who is now 17, believed to be the father of her child. Whitehurst gave birth to a child on June 18; the teen is the father, according to police.
The victim's mother reported the relationship to school officials, who contacted Redlands Police Monday. The sexual relationship allegedly began in the summer of 2012 and continued for nearly a year, police said.
A 22-year-old Redlands man then contacted investigators Tuesday and reported he had been involved in a sexual relationship with Whitehurst in 2007 and 2008. The man said he was a junior at Redlands High School at the time when she was a teacher there.
The man told police the relationship began with kissing in Whitehurst's classroom, then progressed to sex in Whitehurst's Redlands apartment.
Detectives identified a third victim, who was a 14-year-old freshman when Whitehurst began a sexual relationship with him at Redlands High School in 2007. That victim is now 20. He told police he had sex with Whitehurst in her classroom, in her car and at her apartment. The relationship lasted through early 2008, according to police.
Whitehurst was arrested Monday for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. She posted $25,000 bail and was released Monday evening, police said.
The investigation was continuing.
Anyone with additional information related to the case is asked to contact Detective Natasha Crawford at (909) 798-7623 or Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681.
