Former substitute teacher pleads not guilty to upgraded sexual exploitation charge

The former Washington High School substitute teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a student filed a written not guilty plea on Thursday to an amended felony charge of sexual exploitation filed last week in Linn County District Court.

Mary Beth Haglin, 24, was previously charged with an aggravated misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of two years in jail, but Assistant Linn County Attorney Heidi Carmer filed the felony charge last week based on 'new evidence,” court records show. The felony offense of sexual exploitation carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Carmer said in the motion that Haglin admitted during local news interviews and in a series of appearances on national television programs to having a 'pattern or practice of sexual conduct” with a 17-year-old male while she was employed as a teacher from Jan 1 to May 17 of this year.

Haglin appeared on the 'Dr. Phil” show on Oct. 17, and was interviewed by 'Inside Edition” and 'Crime Watch Daily” last month.

She also was interviewed by The Gazette and other local news outlets since her arrest in July.

Haglin was a substitute teacher at Washington from January to mid-May.

Haglin has asked the court to move her trial out of Linn County based on pretrial publicity. A hearing on that matter is set for Dec. 5. A trial date hasn't been set at this time.