January 31, 2012 12:04 PM

Bondage, abuse photos of school kids lead to firing, arrest of So. Calif. teacher, report says

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Crimesider Staff
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Daily Blotter

Miramonte Elementary School

(Credit: CBS/Los Angeles Union School District)
(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - A Southland elementary school teacher was arrested after 40 photos depicting blindfolded and gagged children were given to authorities by a film processor.

The Los Angeles Times reports 61-year-old Mark Berndt allegedly gagged and made bondage photos of nearly two-dozen children - possibly inside a classroom. In some cases, the children are shown with large Madagascar cockroaches crawling on them at the MIramonte Elementary School.

CBS Los Angeles reports some of the photos allegedly depict Berndt holding a substance that resembles human semen up to the mouths of female students as if they were about to swallow it.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says Berndt was arrested at his Torrance home on Monday. He was in jail Tuesday on $2.3 million bail.

He has been charged with committing lewd acts with 23 boys and girls ages 7 to 10, who had contact with Berndt between 2008 and 2010.

Berndt worked for more than 30 years at Miramonte Elementary School in an unincorporated area of south Los Angeles. He was fired last year, according to LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy,although no student ever came forward to report the abuse.

"The day that it was brought to my attention we removed him from his assignment," Deasy said. We fired him that week."

Deasy said there was overwhelming evidence to justify letting Berndt go.

"We fired him on the spot on the evidence of the photographs, not where it happened," he said. "It makes no difference to me where it happened, it happened."

Students who were allegedly victimized by the teacher have been given "psychological support" and guidance counseling over the course of the last year, Deasy said.

More than 80 children and staff were interviewed.




Add a Comment See all 42 Comments
by DenverBroncofan February 1, 2012 4:00 PM EST
by mecanik-2009 January 31, 2012 9:57 PM EST
LOL As if this doesn't go on in the latino neighborhoods.
==============================================================

I am guessing it does, yet the saddest part is its probably acceptable behavior
Reply to this comment
by igutierslcc February 1, 2012 9:52 PM EST
Why are you commenting if you have no idea? I'm Hispanic and I know for a FACT that this is NOT tolerated - what's more we don't allow our daughter to dress like ***** in booty shorts and date before they even hit puberty like they do here in America. Idiot.
by Jaylah54 February 1, 2012 2:01 AM EST
Sadly, if found guilty, this guy will probably get no more than 5 years in prison (with half of that time actually served).

When he seriously should be serving life without possibility of parole. Don't tell me he can be "rehabilitated."
Reply to this comment
by guest173 January 31, 2012 11:16 PM EST
It won't change what happened but I support cameras in classrooms like Bill Gates recommends. At least with cameras it would make it harder for teachers to be totally abusive, this guy is over the top though. Seems children at a certain age just don't know what abuse is?
Reply to this comment
by amerilatino January 31, 2012 7:18 PM EST
Why is it that the markedly highest percentage of boy touchers by group are middle-aged white men? Disgusting.
Reply to this comment
by mecanik-2009 January 31, 2012 9:57 PM EST
LOL As if this doesn't go on in the latino neighborhoods.
by igutierslcc February 1, 2012 9:54 PM EST
Its a stereotype because it has some truth to it- read any FBI profile of a serial killer 98% of the time it's a white, middle aged, middle class male. That's a proven fact- do your research. I hate to bring race into this though because pedophilia occurs in every single race across the board.
by CWAVvolunteer January 31, 2012 5:49 PM EST
God be with these children. Please heal, comfort and protect them. They are hurting - only you know how much. Help them in the ways they need.
Reply to this comment
by CWAVvolunteer January 31, 2012 5:42 PM EST
1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 14. 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 16. More than 90% of all sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator. Almost 50% of the offenders are household members and 38% are already acquaintances of the victims. The average serial child molester has between 360-380 victims in his lifetime. Only 12% of all cases of child abuse are reported how much investigated, unclear.... The most common ages of children when sexual abuse occurs are between 8 and 12..... Over the past 10 years, more than 20,000 American children are believed to have been killed in their own homes by family members. That is nearly four times the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's time we do something! www. childrenwithoutavoiceusa. org
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by matt605 January 31, 2012 8:54 PM EST
And not all offenders are male.
by mecanik-2009 January 31, 2012 9:56 PM EST
Those numbers you throw out there are all statistical numbers that are estimated from a guess. I would imagine they are grossly over estimated to make a point that we need to do something drastic tomorrow thus turning the government into a bunch of witch hunters. This has been going on since the beginning of time and won't go away tomorrow regardless of what we do. I don't know the answer but we need to be careful how much power we hand our government.
by greta_olson January 31, 2012 5:23 PM EST
And to think that there are certain members in pscychaitry who are proposing removing PEDOPHILLIA as a disorder from the DMV in 2013.........
Reply to this comment
by unclebernies January 31, 2012 5:17 PM EST
What kind of idiot was this guy. Does he not understand that elemetary school kids these days know everything about wackos like him.
Reply to this comment
by bringbackmfg January 31, 2012 5:07 PM EST
Why is this deviant behavior seem so frequent these days? Is it just because this kind of stuff was kept quiet in the past? Or is it because we have become more tolerant and relaxed with other deviant behaviors such as those exhibited by homosxuals and transgenders for example? Is this a by-product? Not trying to get a rise out of anybody. Just wondering.
Reply to this comment
by Lerianis4 January 31, 2012 4:59 PM EST
With all due respect, could we keep QUIET about this until the trial is over to prevent prejudicing a jury?

This is what I don't like about the American legal system lately, the police try to try you in the court of public opinion instead of the court of law.
Reply to this comment
by AliceIHaveBeen February 1, 2012 5:49 AM EST
Ummm.... Hello!!! There is photographic evidence of the crime!!!
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