L.A. teacher charged with lewd acts on 23 children

latimesblogs ^ | January 31, 2012 | 8:01 am | Richard Winton

[TSgt]

A teacher who taught for three decades at Miramonte Elementary School in South L.A. has been arrested and charged with lewd acts on 23 children for allegedly tying them up, placing giant cockroaches on their faces and possibly feeding them his semen from a spoon.

Mark Berndt, 61, was taken into custody Monday after a nearly yearlong investigation by the L.A. County sheriff's special victims unit that began when a photo processor turned over pictures of some of the alleged acts to authorities.

Capt. Mike Parker of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the victims identified so far are 23 boys and girls aged 7 to 10 who had contact with Berndt between 2008 and 2010.

[TSgt]

There was a time when society would just simply shoot him on the spot. A time when decency ruled...

[cuban leaf]

Finally! A male perp!

And, guilty...

[napscoordinator]

So true. This guy is disgusting. Cockroaches in the faces and seaman from the spoon. How sick. I wonder what his wife has to say about this.

[maine yankee]

“Nearly yearlong investigation”

How many victims while the DA dragged his feet ?

[agere_contra]

possibly feeding them ... from a spoon.

Bloody hell. I know teaching is the most 'targetted' profession, but just frack . This is monstrous.

[Yaelle]

Another mugshot, another reason to homeschool.

[Marko413]

I’m hoping and praying the “spoon” act turns out to be fabricated.

[9YearLurker]

Simulated rather than stimulated.

[blueunicorn6]

Desensitized. He was just showing his “love” for these children as one homosexual shows his “love” to another. Unbelievable.

[submarinerswife]

Some girls were allegedly photographed with a blue spoon holding a white substance near their mouths.

Put him in a room with the parents of these kids and the problem is solved.

[ElkGroveDan]

As long as our society continues to “celebrate” sexual perversion it will continue to grow and spread among us leaving its stain on innocent victims along the way.

[Cicero]

He taught for 30 years, and nobody noticed anything odd?

[submarinerswife]

I’m hoping and praying the “spoon” act turns out to be fabricated.

Near the end of the article, it states that "a blue spoon and another container" were found in his trash can DNA testing positive for sperm.

[Maverick68]

Hang this man...

[ErnBatavia]

Given those wild allegations (cockroaches and goo-spoons, etc), this could well be another McMartin Preschool thing.....all made up by child protection workers.

[MEGoody]

And people wonder why God made hell.

[SengirV]

See Penn State

[Williams]

This probably will just qualify as one of the “teachers who shouldn’t be teaching” that obama would allow to be fired. Then again, the union hasn’t told him what to think yet.

[Durus]

"Early in the investigation, special victims bureau detectives recovered a blue plastic spoon and an empty container from the trash within the suspect’s classroom," Parker said. "The recovered items tested positive for semen."

You can't imagine up DNA evidence I'm guessing.

[Williams]

Whatever punishment is devised definitely should include that blue spoon.