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.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

It’s time we let teachers marry.

[SECURE AMERICA]

after a nearly yearlong investigation
Too many donut breaks? WTF? It took a year? You all need to get a new profession.............

[bolobaby]

Wife? Did the Barney Frank nuptials already take place?

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: and seaman from the spoon ::

I foresee a number of mildly angry navy veterans in your future!

[NoExpectations]

Ha! Just thinking the same thing...

[Enterprise]

Clovis teacher arrested in student molest caseRead more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/28/2701278/clovis-second-grade-teacher-arrested.html#storylink=mirelated#storylink=cpy

The girl in this case is age 7.

[cuban leaf]

The guy is a pedophile. This isn’t “24 year old female teacher has sex with 17 year old male student”. This is a whole nuther thing. And should be treated accordingly.

[Enterprise]

"This is a whole nuther thing. And should be treated accordingly."

I agree!

[NativeSon]

toss him into general population, announce to everyone his crime

justice delivered and problem solved

[Isabel C.]

Cockroaches in the faces and seaman from the spoon.

It's spelled "semen", not "seaman".

[DPMD]

Once again, the NEA, the pedophilia wing of the democrat party, shows that it’s the largest, best-funded, and most organized ring of professional pedophiles in the world.

But, let’s abolish the Catholic Church instead of focusing on democrats and their pet pedophiles.

[TSgt]

I’ve always publicly maintained that I will take the life of anyone who abuses my child.

[DPMD]

Well, the immediate problem, at least. We’re still left with the democrat party and the NEA, both of which continue to advance these monsters and their activities under various guises.

[TSgt]

But, let’s abolish the Catholic Church instead of focusing on democrats and their pet pedophiles.

Yeah well one of these pedophiles are in jail, the other isn't. Guess which one isn't?

[napscoordinator]

Wife? Did the Barney Frank nuptials already take place?

Initially I thought so too but it says he did this to girls too so at the very least he is bisexual so it is very possible that he has a wife or husband or heck maybe both. lol.

[MichaelCorleone]

“How many victims while the DA dragged his feet?”

I don’t know anything about police work but it also seems to me it took a mighty long time to gather enough evidence to make an arrest.

[Deo volente]

REALLY??!!

This sort of bigotry is permitted here on Free Republic?? Shameful!

[Cicero]

I would agree that it needs to be sorted out by the authorities.

Evidently they have been pursuing this for a year, which surely should be enough time to sort it out. Although these days there are likely to be plenty of nuts and fruitcakes both in the school administration and in law enforcement, in a place like LA. Not to mention the child protection agents whom you mention. And no doubt they have consulted with various psychological experts of dubious sanity.

[Artem55]

As they used to say "He needs killin'"

But since they won't do that I suggest we find a very large jail and put him UNDER it.

[TSgt]

Bigotry?

It’s a fact. Facts are allowed on FR.

It’s a fact that Cardinal Law covered up child rape and it’s a fact that he’s still serving the Pope.

Please go to DU if you wish to call names or make emotional arguments.

We deal in facts here...

[Deo volente]

Your post has NOTHING to do with the topic. It’s simply gratuitous, drive-by bigotry, and drags this great site down into the gutter.

I’ll say nothing more, as I don’t wish to derail the thread further.

[TSgt]

I’ll say nothing more, as I don’t wish to derail the thread further.

Good because you certainly haven't added anything of value.

[dsrtsage]

Perp Male, automatic guilty

[ml/nj]

Why aren't people coming out of the woodwork to sue their elementary school districts?

ML/NJ

[ExCTCitizen]

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.

He was the LAUSD's unoffical sex education teacher...

[lesko]

You and I would get along.

[Boogieman]

“Your post has NOTHING to do with the topic.”

Why don’t you tell that to the pro-Catholic poster who brought the topic up in this thread, who TSgt was RESPONDING to?

[doug from upland]

I heard on KFI that he lives in an apt either with or next to his sister. Know idea if ever married. On KFI, one person brought the story forward that he wore Richard Simmons short shorts to school.

[rabidralph]

And in other overworked and undercompensated news, a Wisconsin teacher is charged with child enticement. Guilty as heck!!

[doug from upland]

They have a huge number of photos.