Accused: Mark Henry Berndt, 61 allegedly took photos of blindfolded and gagged students with roaches on their faces and spoons of semen to their mouths
An elementary teacher who investigators say fed students his semen in a sickening ‘tasting game’ appeared in court for the first time today, as furious parents at the school questioned why they weren't notified when the pictures were found more than a year ago.
The investigation of LA teacher Mark Berndt, 61, began when a film processor turned over more than 40 photos in late December 2011.
The bizarre pictures, and hundreds more found at Berndt’s house showed blindfolded children as young as six, with huge live cockroaches on their mouths and faces.
In the nauseating images taken in his classroom some of the children had a spoon held up to their mouths as if they were going to ingest a clear-white liquid.
A blue plastic spoon and container found in the trash in his classroom tested positive for Berndt's semen, authorities said.
Children were also fed semen on cookies, sheriff's Lt. Carlos Marquez said. ‘If it wasn't for the film processor, this could still be continuing today,’ said Marquez.
Bail for the third-grade teacher was today raised from $2.3 million to the maximum of $23 million for each of the boys and girls, ages 6 to 10, he is accused of abusing.
The tall and greying Berndt, charged with committing lewd acts seemed calm in court as he spoke only to acknowledge his name and birthdate and agreed to have his arraignment put over to February 21.
He has made no statements to authorities and could face life in prison if convicted.
Deputy District Attorney Ana Maria Lopez requested the increase in bail from the initial $2.3 million amount. District attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the initial bail figure was an error because the presumptive bail is $1 million per count.
A blue plastic spoon and container found in the trash in his classroom tested positive for Berndt's semen, authorities said.
Children were also fed semen on cookies, sheriff's Lt. Carlos Marquez said. ‘If it wasn't for the film processor, this could still be continuing today,’ said Marquez.
Bail for the third-grade teacher was today raised from $2.3 million to the maximum of $23 million for each of the boys and girls, ages 6 to 10, he is accused of abusing.
The tall and greying Berndt, charged with committing lewd acts seemed calm in court as he spoke only to acknowledge his name and birthdate and agreed to have his arraignment put over to February 21.
He has made no statements to authorities and could face life in prison if convicted.
Deputy District Attorney Ana Maria Lopez requested the increase in bail from the initial $2.3 million amount. District attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the initial bail figure was an error because the presumptive bail is $1 million per count.
Some photos showed Berndt with his arm around children or his hand over their mouths.
Parents have complained that officials at the school in South Los Angeles should have notified them when the photos were found.
Initially, sheriff's investigators went to the school and found it was closed for the holidays, Gibbons said.
My children won't be coming back here...
'He preyed on our innocents. He tainted a whole neighborhood’
Kimberly Kirklin, mother of former pupil
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy said he was notified of the investigation last January and removed Berndt from the classroom the same day
Berndt, was held in high esteem by some parents, and had taught for thirty years, was fired by the school board.
He was placed under police surveillance but incredibly was not arrested for more than a year, until Monday this week at his home in Torrance.
Authorities could have arrested Berndt on misdemeanor charges when the investigation began but chose to build a stronger felony case, Marquez said.At first, neither the parents nor the children believed they had been molested, so there wasn't much reaction, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
It was only after the matter of the semen was raised that they became alarmed.
Childless bachelor Berndt, who has no previous arrest record, lives just a few blocks from two parks and an elementary school.
Authorities say they don't believe he him to have had contact with children during the investigation, but admit the surveillance was not constant, Whitmore said: ‘It was routine. It wasn't 24-7. We knew his whereabouts.’
‘My concern is why, if the principal knew this in advance, why didn't he inform us?’ said Gloria Polanco, the mother of a second- and a third-grader. ‘How long has he been doing this?’
Parents have complained that officials at the school in South Los Angeles should have notified them when the photos were found.
Initially, sheriff's investigators went to the school and found it was closed for the holidays, Gibbons said.
My children won't be coming back here...
'He preyed on our innocents. He tainted a whole neighborhood’
Kimberly Kirklin, mother of former pupil
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy said he was notified of the investigation last January and removed Berndt from the classroom the same day
Berndt, was held in high esteem by some parents, and had taught for thirty years, was fired by the school board.
He was placed under police surveillance but incredibly was not arrested for more than a year, until Monday this week at his home in Torrance.
Authorities could have arrested Berndt on misdemeanor charges when the investigation began but chose to build a stronger felony case, Marquez said.At first, neither the parents nor the children believed they had been molested, so there wasn't much reaction, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
It was only after the matter of the semen was raised that they became alarmed.
Childless bachelor Berndt, who has no previous arrest record, lives just a few blocks from two parks and an elementary school.
Authorities say they don't believe he him to have had contact with children during the investigation, but admit the surveillance was not constant, Whitmore said: ‘It was routine. It wasn't 24-7. We knew his whereabouts.’
‘My concern is why, if the principal knew this in advance, why didn't he inform us?’ said Gloria Polanco, the mother of a second- and a third-grader. ‘How long has he been doing this?’
Joel Godinez, who has a 7-year-old daughter at the school, told the LA Times the school should have told parents why Berndt was fired: 'They should have told parents. It's just common sense.
'They're just little kids, and we should have known.'
Yvonne Soto, told the LA Times the arrest had encouraged her to be more vigilant about her son, a first-grader in special education.
'It can happen anywhere,' she said. 'People just need to talk to their kids and stop by the classroom every once in a while to see what's going on.'
Police recommended the children in the photos be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. There also may be more victims given the length of time that Berndt taught at the school, Marquez said.
Some of the children were not Berndt’s students, but children from other classes that he had lured to his classroom during breaks, Marquez said.
'They're just little kids, and we should have known.'
Yvonne Soto, told the LA Times the arrest had encouraged her to be more vigilant about her son, a first-grader in special education.
'It can happen anywhere,' she said. 'People just need to talk to their kids and stop by the classroom every once in a while to see what's going on.'
Police recommended the children in the photos be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. There also may be more victims given the length of time that Berndt taught at the school, Marquez said.
Some of the children were not Berndt’s students, but children from other classes that he had lured to his classroom during breaks, Marquez said.
‘They didn't know they were being violated in that manner,’ he said. ‘They just thought it was a game.’
Berndt was a teaching assistant in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1976 and 1977 and he began teaching at Miramonte in 1979, according to a district work history obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
Berndt had no disciplinary actions on file and performed up to standards in his last five evaluations over the last decade, according to the document.
Miramonte Principal Martin Sandoval said he wanted to express his sympathy to the children's families.
Pro 13:5 but a wicked [man] is loathsome, and cometh to shame
Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness,
Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections:
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