Former teacher arrested in L.A., accused of taking lewd photos of kids in classr

[apples]

Former teacher arrested in L.A., accused of taking lewd photos of kids in classroom

LOS ANGELES -- A former Los Angeles elementary school teacher was arrested after he allegedly gagged and made bondage photos of nearly two dozen children -- possibly inside a classroom, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.

A department statement said Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested at his Torrance home on Monday and remained jailed Tuesday on $2.3 million bail.

The district attorney's office said Berndt has been charged with committing lewd acts with 23 boys and girls ages 7 to 10.

Berndt worked for more than 30 years at Miramonte Elementary School in an unincorporated area of south Los Angeles before being fired.

The investigation began when a film processor gave authorities some 40 photographs

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Teacher Charged with Taking Bondage Pics of Students

Authorities launched a widespread sex crime investigation, interviewing current and former students and school employees and searching Berndt's home. They recovered a total of 390 photographs and an adult "sexual bondage" film which mirrored the photos of the children, according to a statement by the sheriff's department today.

More than 26 children from the 390 photographs have been identified; an additional 10 children have not yet been identified, police said.

Shortly after the investigation began, in March, 2011, Berndt was fired from the school. The school did not immediately return calls for comment today.

Berndt was arrested Monday and charged with 23 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child. He is being held at LA County jail in lieu of $2.3 million bail.

Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested for felony molestation of 23 kids after photos surfaced of them in bondage positions. (Los Angeles Sheriff's Department/AP Photo)

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[GeronL]

Yet, if they did it in Hollywood for a film, it'd be fine

disgusting culture we have.

[apples]

Bail Raised for Ex-Los Angeles Teacher Accused of Molesting Children

Bail was raised to $23 million Wednesday for a former Los Angeles teacher accused of taking bizarre photos of children in his classroom for sexual thrill.

Mark Berndt, 61, appeared in court to face allegations of committing lewd acts involving 23 boys and girls, ages 6 to 10. He could face life in prison if convicted.

More Here Why he is still breathing air?

[JohnBrowdie]

he took the pictures to walmart (or some such)?  and he thought this would be okay?  holy crap!

[apples]

he took the pictures to walmart (or some such)?  and he thought this would be okay?  holy crap!

Yes that is what I get from this. if he hadn't of done that he still would be getting away with this.

[apples]

L.A. teacher suspected of lewd conduct keeps benefits

     A teacher charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct in his classroom successfully thwarted attempts by the Los Angeles Unified School District to fire him. In the process, the teacher, who is accused of spoon-feeding his semen to blindfolded children, managed to retain lifetime health-benefits provided by the nation’s second-largest school system.

Former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt also automatically receives nearly $4,000 a month in pension from the California State Teachers' Retirement System.

Because Berndt never was officially fired, he retains lifetime health benefits that he earned through decades of service in L.A. Unified. Ekchian said the district is researching its options for trying to rescind those benefits should Berndt be convicted.

His retirement benefits were never at issue.

“A teacher will receive their pension regardless of the reason for their termination because it is a benefit the teacher earned through their contributions and length of service,” said Michelle Mussuto, a spokeswoman for CalSTRS. “Once earned, that benefit cannot be taken away unless it is determined the teacher obtained that benefit by fraudulent means.”

Berndt has been receiving $3,891.17 per month since last July.         

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I do not know why I am surprised?  I shouldn't be.

[apples]

Accused teacher investigated in 1994 for allegedly fondling girl

The longtime Los Angeles teacher accused of committing lewd acts on 23 children was investigated for allegedly fondling a girl in 1994, but no charges were filed, authorities said.

Mark Berndt, 61, was investigated for alleged lewd acts on a child in January 1994 after officials at Miramonte Elementary School reported "an attempted fondling," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Dan Scott said.

A girl, who was 10 or 11 years old at the time, said Berndt attempted to fondle her over her clothing near her genital area, Scott said. The allegation was investigated by a sheriff's detective and presented to the district attorney's office, which rejected the case, Scott said.

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[Vonne]

L.A. teacher suspected of lewd conduct keeps benefits

I do not know why I am surprised?  I shouldn't be.

Granted, the monster should face a torturous prison sentence for the rest of his shortened life, since an immediate execution is not legal.  There's no defending the perverted abomination.

~~~~~

Completely ignoring him.  Do you believe a person, who has yet to be convicted and officially resigned, should automatically lose their vested pension and benefits?  Outside of the military and to varying extent police agencies, vested benefits are generally untouchable even in spite of flagrant misconduct.  I'm not sure it would be wise, to extend the military system into the civil world.    Again, this is a completely separate thought than anything related to the monster above.

[apples]

Schools chief Deasy: Teachers accused of abuse should lose pay

L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy has called for changes to laws that protect the rights of teachers accused of heinous acts, saying they should be subject to faster dismissal and the loss of pay, benefits and pensions.

Deasy made his comments on KNX-AM (1070) radio in response to reports by The Times that a former teacher charged with lewd conduct with nearly two dozen students receives lifetime health benefits from the L.A. Unified School District and a pension of nearly $4,000 a month from the state teachers’ retirement system.

The teacher, Mark Berndt, is suspected of spoon-feeding what is believed to be his semen to current and former students and taking pictures of the children blindfolded and gagged with tape. He was arrested on Monday.

FULL COVERAGE: Mark Berndt

The superintendent specifically criticized three steps of the legal process. First, an accused teacher is paid full salary while awaiting disposition of the case. Typically, that teacher is “housed” in a district office where there are no students or, in some cases, sent home.
Berndt received about a month of pay before L.A. Unified moved to fire him, which cut off his salary. But the speed in which his case was handled is an exception. Some cases stretch out for years.

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[apples]

Accused teacher's behavior was reported decades ago, students say

Two former students of a teacher accused of bizarre acts of lewd conduct in his classroom said school officials were informed about his questionable behavior two decades ago.

School officials and Sheriff's Department investigators have said they have no records of anyone complaining about former teacher Mark Berndt, 61, who is accused of gagging students with tape, blindfolding them and spoon-feeding his semen to them as part of a “tasting game.”

But two women came forward Wednesday to say that school officials had looked into a complaint made against Berndt in the 1990-91 school year.

FULL COVERAGE: Mark Berndt

In an interview with The Times, Marlene Trujillo said that she was a fourth-grader in his class at the time, and that she wasn’t sure what to make of her teacher’s odd behavior.

She said Berndt often moved his hands under his desk, near his lap, at the front of the classroom. She and other students had seen a jar of Vaseline in one of his desk compartments.

Trujillo, a 30-year-old paralegal, said she was called before a school counselor with two other girls after one of them complained about Berndt’s alleged behavior.

“I didn’t say much during the meeting,” Trujillo said. Finally, the counselor “just told us it’s not very good to make stories up. She said it was our imagination. It was never talked about again.”

Trujillo said she felt relieved. “I was glad that I didn’t get in trouble, that they didn’t tell my mom I was part of making up stories.”

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[apples]

Five more alleged victims accuse L.A. teacher of abuse

Five more alleged victims have contacted sheriff's investigators since they announced the arrest of a longtime Miramonte Elementary School teacher accused of abusing children in his classroom, authorities said.

The children's allegations must all be verified to determine whether any additional charges can be filed against Mark Berndt, 61, who is expected in court Wednesday for arraignment on 23 counts of lewd acts against children, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

Berndt, who was being held in lieu of $2.3-million bail, regularly told his students that they were going to play a "tasting game," in which children were blindfolded and, in some cases, gagged with tape, authorities say. He used a blue plastic spoon to feed children a white substance that DNA tests later revealed to be his semen. The students were told to tell Berndt whether the substance tasted salty or sweet, authorities said. The father of one alleged victim also told The Times his son was photographed eating a cookie that appeared to also be laced with semen.

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Other adults HAD to have known what was going on with this sick bastard.

[apples]

Lawyer: Teacher brought kids from other classes for 'tasting games'

An attorney representing a student at Miramonte Elementary School said Friday children were pulled from after-school programs and other teachers' classes to take part in "tasting games" at the center of lewd conduct charges against fired teacher Mark Berndt.

In these games, children were photographed while blindfolded and asked to taste a liquid that police now believe to be the semen Berndt, who was arrested Monday.

Attorney Brian E. Claypool said his client was 9 when her photograph was taken by Berndt, although she was not his student.

FULL COVERAGE: Mark Berndt

Claypool said Berndt had two ways of getting children who weren't in his class to participate in his games -- by having them sent to his class during the school day or having them go to his class after school.
"The potential pool of victims is beyond the classroom," Claypool said in a news conference outside the South L.A. campus where Berndt worked for three decades until he was removed last year when district officials learned of the allegations.

District officials have confirmed that not all the students have been identified and that they were not all current students of Berndt.

L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy said there's no doubt some of the alleged victims were participants in an after-school program. He said he did not know if some students had been pulled out of other classes during the school day.

Berndt is in custody with his bail set at $23 million. He was arrested Monday, about a year after the school district officials removed him from class after seeing some of the photos.

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[GeronL]

This is LA-Hollyweird, of course others knew and thought nothing of it.

Just another day in lala land.

He could be a casting agent for Disney Channel. He'd fit right in.

[apples]

Civil cases may hamper investigation into Los Angeles teacher charged with lewd acts on students

The investigation into a former third-grade teacher charged with committing lewd acts on students could be hampered by the flood of civil cases related to the scandal and public statements made by alleged victims, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives.

Investigators told the Los Angeles Times they are concerned that Mark Berndt's defense team could use statements by alleged victims and their attorneys to point out inconsistencies and to suggest that they have a financial motive for accusing the teacher.

The charges against Berndt, 61, were made public Jan. 31. He faces 23 counts of lewd acts upon children, ages 6 to 10. Since the charges were announced, civil attorneys say they are representing more than 60 victims, the Times reported. Earlier this week, two alleged victims appeared with their attorney on the "Dr. Phil" television show.

"The lawyers are making it that much more difficult," William McSweeney, chief of detectives for the Sheriff's Department, told the newspaper. "It is going to raise issues of credibility."

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[GeronL]

Its Kalipornia after all, they will find a way to get this guy a job at Disney Channel