'LA Teacher Arrested For Lewd Acts With Students' (video)

LA Teacher Arrested For Lewd Acts With Students
FOX 11 News Exclusive video report.

Updated: Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012, 12:42 PM PST
Published : Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012, 7:45 AM PST

LA Teacher Arrested For Lewd Acts With Students: MyFoxLA.com

Los Angeles - A Los Angeles teacher is under arrest, facing child molestation charges after the discovery of graphic pictures involving children.

Detectives with LA County Sheriff's Special Victims Bureau arrested 61-year-old Mark Berndt, a teacher with over 30 years experience at Miramonte Elementary School, after conducting a year long sex crimes investigation.

The investigation began when over 40 photographs depicting, mainly female children in a school classroom, with their eyes blindfolded and their mouths taped were turned into law enforcement by a film processor. Film processors are mandated to report suspected child abuse under California law (11166 P.C.).

The suspect, Mark Berndt, was seen in some photographs with his arm around the children or with his hand over their mouth. In addition, the photographs depicted girls with what appeared to be a blue plastic spoon filled with an unknown clear/white liquid substance up to their mouths as if they were going to swallow the substance.

The kids reportedly told police their teacher said it was a game and the substance was "sugar."

Detectives recovered a blue plastic spoon and an empty container from the trash within the suspect's classroom. The recovered items tested positive for semen and the suspect's DNA matched that of the semen profile found on the spoon and packaging.

In some photographs female children are seen consuming a cookie with the same liquid substance. There were also children with large live Madagascar type cockroaches on their face and mouths.

A search warrant on the suspect's house in Torrance led to the discovery of over 100 photographs. A DVD depicting sexual "Bondage" activity which mirrored the bondage depicted in the photographs with the children.

An additional 250 photographs were later recovered from the film processing establishment.

Los Angeles Unified School District removed Berndt from teaching on January 7, 2011 and later terminated him in March.

Berndt is facing 23 felony counts of "Lewd and Lascivious acts with a Child Under 14" and if convicted could face life in prison. Bail has been set at $2,300,000.00