Los Angeles teacher charged with molesting 23 children

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A former Los Angeles teacher has been arrested and charged with lewd acts against 23 children,
according to The Los Angeles Times.

Authorities took 61-year-old Mark Berndt into custody Monday for allegedly tying up the children, putting large cockroaches on their face and reportedly feeding them his semen.

Information on Berndt’s actions were obtained when a photo processor turned over graphic photos showing children blindfolded with cockroaches around them and girls holding a spoon with an unknown white substance on it.

“Early in the investigation, special victims bureau detectives recovered a blue plastic spoon and an empty container from the trash within the suspect’s classroom,” Los Angeles Police Department Captain Mike Parker said. “The recovered items tested positive for semen.”

Police said the incidents occurred from 2008 and 2010, with Berndt encountering 23 children from ages 7 to 10.

Berndt, who taught at Miramonte Elementary School for three decades, was fired in March and is being held in prison on a $2.3 million bail.

Photo cred: Flickr user Kevin Wong