A former elementary school teacher admitted Thursday to having sex with a young student, reversing her not guilty plea from the day before.
Malia Brooks, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of lewd acts with a child under age 14 and to the allegation that each act involved “substantial sexual conduct with a child,” according to Erin Meister, prosecutor with Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Brooks turned herself in Tuesday afternoon after police “negotiated” with her, the Simi Valley Police Department said in a news release Wednesday.
She had been a sixth-grade teacher at Garden Grove Elementary School since 2004.
The sole alleged male victim was a student at the K-6 school, but officials would not say if he was Brooks’ classes.
"There were no indications that Malia Brooks had other victims," authorities said.
Simi Valley police said they were alerted to the alleged inappropriate relationship on Feb. 22 by school officials, who said the conduct had been going on for several months. School officials would not say how they found out about the relationship.
A teacher at the school’s Impact Academy, Brooks, pictured below, was placed on administrative leave Feb. 21. She resigned June 5, officials said at a Wednesday news conference.
Outside the courtroom Wednesday, her attorney, Ron Bamieh, said Brooks "has suffered from a mental illness."
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"We've had her diagnosed and she's in treatment," Bamieh said. "My guess is a lot of the charges precipitated from that illness."
The former educator’s bail was set $2 million after prosecutors deemed her to be a flight risk.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 23
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