In quite possibly the most perverse and creepy arrest in the history of California, a sixty-one year old teacher has been apprehended and charged with performing lewd acts upon twenty-three children. Mark Berndt worked as an educator for more than thirty years, but police say he betrayed that trust and violated his students in sick and bizarre manners.
Their investigation started almost a year ago when a photo developer alerted authorities of an odd role of film that had been dropped off. The pictures featured blindfolded students with duct tape over their mouths and live cockroaches on their faces. A few featured female students, all between the ages of seven and ten, with a blue spoon in front of their mouths that contained a clear liquid.
Authorities began investigating the situation immediately, and during a search of the teacher’s room found said spoon and an empty container. Both tested positive for Berndt’s semen. Miramonte Elementary School reportedly fired him not long after the investigation began, though the district has not formally commented on the distressing situation yet. Over the next few months, hundreds of employees and current and former students were interviewed, and a search of the teacher’s home uncovered more photographs and a sexual bondage adult video that seemed to depict events similar to what happened. He reportedly told the kids they were playing a game and that the clear liquid contained sugar.
According to ABC News, Berndt was formally arrested yesterday and remains inside Los Angeles County Jail, unable to post the 2.3 million dollar bail required to obtain his temporary freedom.
