The 2016 Sex Scandal Teacher Lineup

Alexandria Vera, Texas

A former Texas middle-school teacher who was impregnated by a 13-year-old student has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Alexandria Vera, 25, was facing up to 30 years behind bars after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child in November. She admitted to police that a relationship that started with Instagram messages between her and the boy blossomed into a romance — one that the boy’s family approved of.

A judge in the 209th District Court in Houston said during Vera’s sentencing hearing on Friday that he does not believe the former English teacher is a danger to children or a classic pedophile, the Houston Chronicle reported. But Judge Michael McSpadden said he wants to send a message to the community by giving Vera some prison time.

“We want our educators to teach our students,” McSpadden said, according to the Houston Chronicle. “We want them to keep their hands off students.”

Mary Beth Haglin, Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS — A judge found Mary Beth Haglin, a former Cedar Rapids Washington High substitute teacher, guilty of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student on Friday in Linn County District Court.

Haglin, 24, of Cedar Rapids, didn’t show any visible reaction when Sixth Judicial District Judge Kevin McKeever announced she was guilty of sexual exploitation by a school employee, an aggravated misdemeanor. She and her attorney Katie Frank declined to comment as they left the courtroom.

She faces up to two years in jail or a fine between $625 and $6,250. She also is required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Sentencing is set for Feb. 17 in Linn County District Court.

After the hearing, Assistant Linn County attorneys Heidi Carmer and Monica Slaughter said they are satisfied with the verdict.

Haglin agreed to a bench or nonjury trial based on the “minutes of testimony,” a limited summary of evidence the prosecution would include at trial.

McKeever said he reviewed the videos of an interview with police investigators and an interview with the 17-year-old victim at St. Luke’s Child Protection Center. He briefly went over the “highlights” of his ruling during the hearing.

McKeever said the elements necessary to find guilt are:

• Haglin was a school employee — a substitute teacher — from January to May.

• The 17-year-old male was a student during that time at Washington High.

• Haglin knew he was a student.

• Haglin engaged in sexual conduct with him during this time.

McKeever’s written ruling, available following the hearing, laid out more detailed facts from the two taped interviews he reviewed.

The 17-year-old student said he met Haglin in the spring of 2015, when she was a student teacher at Washington High, the ruling shows. At this time, the conversations between the student and Haglin mostly regarded school related topics.

Haglin and the student admitted they met again in the fall of 2015, when Haglin returned to work as a substitute, according to the ruling. They also admitted they began messaging each other through social media and they had sex in October 2015, the report states.

The student’s father told investigators he met Haglin on several occasions but he was initially unaware that she was a teacher, according to the ruling. But his mother, who was employed at Washington during the January through May time period, told investigators she knew Haglin began a long-term substitute teaching position at the school.

Haglin and the student told investigators Haglin sent nude photos to him and the photos were found in his iPod account. The ruling doesn’t say when the photos were sent.

Haglin and the student also admitted the relationship ended in early June, the report states.

Haglin, through her lawyer, agreed to the non-jury trial after Carmer amended the sexual exploitation to a felony in November and it was approved by the court. Haglin also lost her other motion, arguing she wasn’t considered a “school employee” under Iowa law, in an attempt to get the charge dismissed.

Carmer filed the felony charge following a slew of interviews Haglin gave the local press and national television programs, including the “Dr. Phil” show, where she admitted to having the sexual relationship with the teen. During some of the interviews, she went into detail about the sexual encounters and how long the relationship lasted.

Carmer argued in a previous hearing that the interviews revealed a “pattern or practice of sexual conduct” to upgrade the charge.

McKeever was set to rule on what portions of a video of the “Dr. Phil” episode would be allowed at trial, but Haglin made an agreement with the prosecutor on Nov. 23, to have a non-jury trial on the misdemeanor charge. Neither the “Dr. Phil” video nor or any other television interviews were evidence the judge considered.

Isabelle Graham, UK

A woman who was banned from teaching after she was pictured in bed with a pupil had been working as a missionary to spread the word of God among soldiers.

French teacher Isabelle Graham was dismissed from her post at the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) on 31 August for engaging in "sexual activity" with a 17-year-old pupil at a Travelodge hotel in Edinburgh.

It has now emerged the 28-year-old had been doing work for the Soldiers' and Airmen Scripture Readers Association (SASRA), carrying out missionary work with soldiers.

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Her name had appeared on the charity's staff list as "donor relations officer", but was removed following the allegations.

The Hampshire charity, which spreads the teaching of God among soldiers, is now conducting an internal review into the matter.

A spokesperson from the SASRA told The Independent: “Mrs Wilkie has recently been employed as a part-time staff member with the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Scripture Readers Association (SASRA).

"SASRA is not in a position to rule on Mrs Wilkie’s conduct in her previous employment. However, SASRA believes that allegations of this nature should be taken seriously and is therefore undertaking an internal review.

"Our primary concern remains the wellbeing of everybody under SASRA’s pastoral care and the distress caused to all involved."

In response to the allegations made against her, Ms Graham claimed she had no recollection of engaging sexually with the pupil because she drank four glasses of wine.

She also maintained she was an “active and practising Christian” who had been “waiting until marriage” to have sexual intercourse.

But Detective Sergeant Keith Miller, who investigated the incident for Police Scotland, disputed this, stating: “Throughout the footage there’s no sign Ms Graham is under the excessive influence of drugs or alcohol.

“The way she moved and conducted herself suggested someone who was making conscious decisions.”

Ms Graham's husband Andrew Wilkie, a training clergyman, is said to have stayed with her despite her alleged infidelity, and she has recently given birth to their first child.

Police Scotland formally investigated the incident, but chose not to pursue charges due to a lack of evidence.

Alaina Ferguson, Texas

PLANO, Texas -- Investigators say an encounter on the social media platform Snapchat led to a sexual relationship between a Texas math teacher and a 16-year-old student, reports CBS affiliate KHOU.

Alaina Ferguson, 23, was arrested and charged with sexual assault on Nov. 30, after authorities discovered the alleged relationship.

Notorious teacher sex scandals

The 16-year-old student told police that he wrote his Snapchat user name at the top of a test while in Ferguson’s algebra class at Plano Senior High School, according to court documents. Ferguson allegedly replied via the social media app, and the two met a few days later and had sex on a park bench, the alleged victim told police.

Police allege that between one and two weeks later, the teen and a friend went to Ferguson’s apartment, which she shared with her fiancé, who was away for the weekend. Ferguson and the teens ate pizza and played beer pong, the alleged victim said, and he and Ferguson allegedly had sex while his friend took the dog for a walk.

“Ms. Ferguson told [the student] that she knew it was not the right thing to do, but it felt right at the time, and that she was going to break it off with her fiancé because she didn’t feel anything with him,” an investigator wrote in the court documents.

The teen and Ferguson had sex in the same apartment on several occasions during their relationship, the victim told officers. The most recent occurrence was in the back of his pickup truck after a football game on Nov. 4.

Ferguson was released from jail on Dec. 1 after posting a $100,000 bond. The Plano Independent School District said Ferguson was hired in August of this year and resigned in October.

Randi Lynn Zurenko, South Carolina

HARRISBURG — Detectives from the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Criminal Investigation Division arrested Randi Lynn Zurenko, 33, of Millerstown, Perry County Thursday afternoon.

Zurenko is facing charges in connection to inappropriate relationships with two separate Bishop McDevitt High School students while she was a teacher at the school.

Victim 1 graduated from the school in 2013, but prior to graduation, Zurenko provided alcohol to the underage student on several occasions. On one occasion at Fort Hunter In Susquehanna Township, Zurenko massaged the student’s back and undid the victim’s bra according to a release by the Dauphin County District Attorney’s office.

In early 2015, Zurenko began a relationship with another student, victims 2. The relationship continued until October 14, 2016, and involved multiple sex acts between Zurenko and victim 2.

Zurenko also photographed victim 2 in various stages of undress, as well took photographs of herself and victim 2 having sexual relations. Zurenko also sent victim #2 nude ‘selfie’ photos. Detectives seized Zurenko’s phone and other electronic devises and found numerous nude photographs of the victim. The sexual encounters with victim 2 took place at various locations to include Swatara Township, Fort Hunter in Susquehanna Township, parking lots near Union Deposit and Rutherford Roads in Lower Paxton Township, Zurenko’s home in Perry County and at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The last sexual encounter occurred this past Friday on October 14, 2016.

Detectives interviewed Zurenko on October 18th. During the course of the interview Zurenko admitted to providing both victim 1 and victim 2 alcohol while they were students at Bishop McDevitt. She also admitted that, while employed as a teacher at Bishop McDevitt High School, she had a sexual relationship with victim 2, a current student at the school. Zurenko also admitted to taking nude photographs of victim 2.

Upon being advised of the investigation on October 18th, officials at Bishop McDevitt High School immediately placed Zurenko on administrative leave. The school cooperated fully with detectives investigating these incidents. This case was investigated by Sgt. Todd Johnson, Detective John O’Connor, with assistance from Cpl. Autumn Lupey of the Lower Paxton Police Department and Officer Pete Fure currently employed by the Derry Township Police Department.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective John O’Connor at 780-6432. Press inquiries should be referred to Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean McCormack.

Laura Rich, Georgia

WOODSTOCK, GA -- Thirty-eight-year-old substitute teacher Laura Rich of Acworth was arrested last Friday, September 23, and charged with two counts of sexual assault by a teacher after an investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives said that in early 2015, Rich had sex with a 16-year-old student, and that late in 2015, she had sex with an 18-year-old student. Investigators said both incidents took place at Rich's Acworth home.

The Cherokee County School District initially notified the sheriff's office of the allegations that launched the investigation.

After she was arrested and charged, Rich was released on $22,400 bond.

Rich is a former substitute teacher at Ace Academy in Canton. She was working at the school until August 19, 2016.

The Cherokee County School District sent 11Alive a statement saying, "[Ms. Rich] no longer is permitted to work as a substitute teacher in CCSD. Our School District has zero tolerance for inappropriate relationships between students and any adults serving in any capacity in our schools."

Rachel Bauer, Texas

A Texan high school teacher who admitted seducing three of her teenage students then having sex with them has been imprisoned for ten years.

Rachel Bauer, 25, admitted sleeping with a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old while teaching Agriculture at Frankston High School in Frankston, Texas.

As well as inviting the students to her home for sex, she also engaged in 'drinking parties' with the underage boys and sent them explicit photographs of herself - including one in which she posed in a school t-shirt.

Prosecutors told how she sent 'fully naked' images to the impressionable boys then convincing them to engage in oral and penetrative sex with them.

Bauer pleaded guilty to sex charges against her in August, and was sentenced Thursday to a ten-year prison term.

She was also given a permanent ban for teaching and will be a registered sex offender for life.

According to the Anderson County District Attorney's Office, Bauer slept with the boys at some point in 2014.

Haeli Wey, Texas

Haeli Wey, a former high school teacher in Austin, Texas, pleaded guilty to two counts of an improper relationship with a student on Friday, according to several reports.

As part of the plea deal, Wey’s attorney told KXAN his client will be sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication probation and she will not spend any time in jail.

In an affidavit obtained by The American-Statesman from the 29-year-old former teacher’s December 2015 arrest, Wey developed relationships with two students during the summer and fall of that year. Both students were 17 and while the legal age of consent in Texas is 17, Wey was charged because of her role as an educator, according to The Statesman.

One victim allegedly told police he met Wey at a “student ministry program” in June 2015 and Wey accompanied his family on a trip to Africa soon after, according to CBS. The victim said he ended their relationship after hearing she had gone on a hike with another 17-year-old student.

The victim told authorities he and Wey had sexual contact on the hike in September 2015, which led to the second set of charges, according to CBS. Authorities also found text messages between Wey and the student, which were also included in the affidavit, according to CBS.

Wey was a math teacher with the Eanes Independent School District for two years, according to KXAN. Her official sentencing date is scheduled for March 10.

The Travis County Sheriff’s Department and the 167th Criminal District Court were not available for immediate comment.

Laura Whitehurst, California

A former California high school student who impregnated his teacher has walked away with a $6 million settlement from the school district — reportedly one of the largest single-victim sex abuse settlements ever from a public agency.

The one-time pupil at Citrus Valley High School in Redlands, who is now 21, received the whopping payment Friday, more than three years after the arrest of his former teacher and lover, Laura Whitehurst.

“The size of this settlement represents the gravity of the damage done to this young victim and his family and it also highlights the extreme malfeasance and neglect by school officials who turned a blind eye to the criminal conduct of a teacher and failed to protect a student,” Vince Finaldi, an attorney for the student, told The Los Angeles Times.

But through the settlement, the district admits no wrongdoing, and places all blame on the teen-loving teacher.

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Whitehurst, a former AP English teacher, was slapped with 41 felony sex assault charges for her relationship with this student and two others, all of whom were under 18 at the time.

The student who won the $6 million settlement said his sexual relationship with Whitehurst started in 2012, when he was 16, and continued for about a year. The two regularly had sex at her apartment, and Whitehurst gave birth to their child in June 2013 — while the boy was still in school.

Whitehurst was arrested one month later and faced up to 29 years behind bars. In court proceedings, the student told a judge he felt “sick to my stomach” from the “manipulation” he received from his teacher.

As part of a plea deal, Whitehurst was sentenced to one year in jail and released after only four months.

Nicole Jakubiak, Texas

The Cherokee County School District initially notified the sheriff's office of the allegations that launched the investigation.

After she was arrested and charged, Rich was released on $22,400 bond.

Rich is a former substitute teacher at Ace Academy in Canton. She was working at the school until August 19, 2016.

Nicole Aymand, Louisiana

PORT BARRE, La. (KLFY) – A basketball coach at Port Barre High School is accused of having sexual relations with three students.

Police Chief Deon Boudreaux said Nicole Aymond, 45, was arrested today on three counts of prohibited sexual conduct.

Authorities launched an investigation last week after receiving a call from a concerned parent.

Boudreaux said investigators found lewd and nude images of Aymond that she allegedly texted to a student’s cell phone.

Aymond admitted to having sexual intercourse with two male students and sexual conduct with a third student, according to Boudreaux.

All of the three students involved are between 17 and 18 years old.

17 is the age of sexual consent, according to Louisiana law.

However, Boudreaux explained another state law another state law prohibits, “sexual relationships between educators and students if the student is under the age of 21 years old and a student at the facility the educator is employed (at).”

No bond has been sent as of yet.

St. Landry Parish School System Superintendent Patrick D. Jenkins issued the following statement about Aymond’s allegations:

“The St. Landry Parish School System is aware of and investigating the recent allegations involving an employee from Port Barre High School. We want to assure the school community that we take reports of this nature very seriously and will do everything in our power to protect the health, safety and welfare of all students. Due to student privacy laws, SLPSS will not provide details regarding the student involved. There will be no further comment on the ongoing personnel investigation.”

Closer Jamee Hiatt, Michigan

JACKSON, Mich. -- A former Michigan teacher who admitted to having a sexual relationship with one of her students has been sentenced to prison.

Notorious teacher sex scandals

Jamee Hiatt of Grass Lake told a Jackson County Circuit Court judge on Thursday that her actions “were inexcusable” and she “became out of control.”

The 32-year-old Hiatt earlier pleaded guilty to one count each of first-degree and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Hiatt told the court that she began a sexual relationship with a student in 2014, when he was 13.

The victim told police that Hiatt had sex with him “so many times that he couldn’t begin to tell how many times that there were,” Jackson Police Det. Gary Schuette testified, reports CBS Detroit. The boy recounted five or six specific incidents, Schuette said, which took place at Hiatt’s home in Grass Lake and on one occasion in a parking lot of a store in Jackson.

The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports Judge Thomas Wilson ordered her to spend 3 to 20 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of monitoring as a sex offender. She was arrested by Jackson police in January 2016 after resigning from her job as third-grade teacher at Woodworth Elementary School in Leslie, Mich., the station reports. Prior to that, she taught at Leslie Middle School as recently as 2013, according to the district’s website.

Last year, authorities also said she gave the student a gun that was believed to have been used in a Jackson shooting.

Defense lawyer Phillip Berkemeier said Hiatt has done “a lot of things she regrets.” Berkemeier said Hiatt had been “forthcoming” about the gun.

Christina Busby, Alabama

A former teacher has been arrested for engaging in a sexual act with a student during her employment at Faith Academy in Mobile.

33-year-old Christina Busby is charged with two counts of a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student under the age of 19-years-old.

Sheriff’s investigators say the victim’s parents went to the school after learning about the allegation last week. The then informed law enforcement. Investigators gathered evidence in the form of text messages between Busby and the student, pointing to two separate incidents where the alleged sexual acts took place.

“There is a very very thick stack of back and forth texting,” said Mobile County Sheriff’s Lt. Paul Burch. “There was some talking leading up to and afterwards and one could read the texts and conclude that something did occur.”

Busby was a teacher for 12 years at Faith Academy and was let go after the school learned of the allegations. The victim is no longer a student and was 17 when the alleged crimes occurred.

Tara Stumph, California

Charges have now been filed against a former Arroyo Grande High School teacher after police announced more than eight months ago she was under investigation on allegations she had sex with an underage male student.

The five charges against Tara Stumph, 36, include sexual intercourse with a minor and oral copulation of a minor -- both felonies -- and three counts of misdemeanor child molestation.

According to the complaint filed in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Tuesday, the alleged incidents occurred between December 2014 and December 2015, with the two felonies allegedly taking place in June 2015.

Arroyo Grande police said the sexual assault allegations were brought to the attention of school administrators who notified police on December 4.

Shortly after, police said the teacher was placed on administrative leave, but did not disclose her name and said she had not been arrested and no criminal charges had been filed. Officials with the Lucia Mar Unified School District confirmed with KSBY last week that Stumph was no longer employed by the district.

The district Wednesday morning issued the following statement to KSBY:

"District officials have been notified that a complaint has been filed in connection with the investigation of an Arroyo Grande High School teacher.

Student safety has been and continues to be a primary focus of the Lucia Mar Unified School District. As soon as the District was alerted to this information, the teacher in question was immediately placed on leave and the District cooperated with the investigation by local law enforcement. The teacher is no longer an employee of the District.

We commend the AGHS administrative staff, Lucia Mar Human Resources and the Arroyo Grande Police Department on their thorough investigation into the original allegations and the subsequent investigation by the District Attorney's Office. It is through these collaborative efforts, that we are able to ensure that student safety at all District schools remains a number one priority."

Detectives interviewed potential witnesses and collected evidence for some time before recommending charges to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

An arrest warrant issued for Stumph was not served because she posted bail, set at $135,000, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Stumph was reportedly a culinary arts teacher at Arroyo Grande High School where she worked for about five years, according to district officials. She is expected to be arraigned August 29.

KSBY reached out to her lawyer, but he declined to comment on the case at this time.

Original story: Arroyo Grande High teacher being investigated for sexual assault, police say

Jessica Beraldin, Ottawa

A 30-year-old Ottawa teacher has been charged with sexual assault, sexual exploitation and making sexually explicit material available to a child, police say.

Jessica Beraldin was charged Thursday and appeared in court Friday, where she was released after a surety posted $1,000.

Police allege a "sexual relationship" began between Beraldin and one of her students while Beraldin was employed by the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

The court ordered her to have no contact with the alleged victim in person, electronically or through social media. She also can't go near parks or any place where children under 16 are present, unless her surety is with her.

The investigation began in mid-March. Police would not say when the relationship is alleged to have occurred.

The incident occurred at the school during business hours, according to Ottawa Police Const. Chuck Benoit.

Investigators say there could be more victims.

Alyson London, Florida

APOPKA, Fla. - An Apopka Memorial Middle School teacher is facing several charges after investigators found that she exchanged thousands of inappropriate messages with a female student, according to the Apopka Police Department. Officials said 44-year-old physical education teacher Alyson Nicole London became close with the girl while the she attended Apopka Memorial Middle School and the relationship continued when the victim moved to high school, according to the offense report. Police say London used SnapChat and Kik to message with the 14-year-old starting in 2015 and continuing until police started investigating the allegations against London on Sept. 27. Apopka detectives reviewed more than 129,000 messages on the social media platform Kik between London and the victim. Detectives reported hundreds of deleted messages of “sexual nature, rape, drugs and abuse,” according to the report. In a conversation on August 13, 2016, the suspect asked the victim about her sexual activity and instructed her how to masturbate. During the same conversation, London told the victim she had feelings for her starting when the victim was in 7th grade, but “fell in love with” her while she was in 8th grade. London encouraged the victim to ask her questions about sex, explaining sexual actions in graphic detail. Throughout their conversations on KIK, London referred to the victim as a daughter and said, “I love you, baby girl.” London said her husband was very jealous of the relationship she had with the victim, because he at first thought she was talking to another man. “I told him to [explicit] off,” said London in a message to the victim. “You’re my daughter and if I want to talk to you I can.” She told the victim that she has cheated on her husband with 10 different men. On Sept. 17, the victim messaged London pretending to be a male. London encouraged the person she thought she was messaging with to commit sexual acts on the victim while she was passed out. The victim later admitted to detectives on Oct. 13 that she was posing as another person during those conversations and others. Police say she also admitted to lying about being raped, being abused at her home, using drugs and alcohol and having sex. Teachers are legally obligated to report disclosures of abuse to the Department of Children and Families, but London never reported any of the victim's allegations, police said. London said she didn't report the disclosures because she didn't want to violate the victim's trust. London also arranged meetings with the victim on school property and at a church. The victim's mother told detectives she knew London was exchanging messages with her daughter when her girl attended the school. The mother notified school officials and had her daughter removed from London's class. The mother thought communication between her daughter and London had stopped at that point, according to the 19-page report. School officials told London not to have contact with the victim through social media. Another teacher who shared an office with London told detectives she saw the victim in the office, where students aren't allowed, on several occasions. That teacher also said she witnessed London rubbing the girl's shoulders and touching her hair, back and legs. That teacher provided school officials with photos and videos of these interactions when the victim attended the school, police said. After London was told not to have contact with the student, she would ask friends of the victim to communicate messages to the girl. London denied any wrongdoing when she was interviewed by a detective. She claimed she didn't know how to use messaging apps and suggested that someone may have hacked her phone, according to the report. London was arrested Friday and charged with solicitation to commit sexual battery, failure to report child abuse as a mandatory reporter, failure to report sexual abuse as a mandatory reporter, attempted interference with custody, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, transmission of harmful material to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.