With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
South L.A. Teacher Accused of Performing Bondage Acts on Elementary School Students

It's not every day that you come across a story so vile that it's difficult to write, but here we go: a South L.A. elementary school teacher is being accused of binding and gagging students, covering them with roaches, and possibly feeding some of them his semen from a spoon. According to the L.A. Sheriff's Department, Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested at his home in Torrance on Monday after a nearly year-long investigation that began when a film processor turned over about 40 suspicious photos. The photos allegedly depicted kids who were blindfolded and had their mouths covered with tape in a school setting. In some of the photos, Berndt was posing with the children, either with his arm around them or his hand over their mouths.
Some of the pictures showed the victims, who were later found to be between the ages of 7 and 10, with live, Madagascar-like cockroaches crawling on their faces and mouths, and others had what looked like a blue spoon with a clear or whitish liquid held up to their mouths by Berndt. Later, a blue spoon and an empty container in Berndt's classroom trashcan were found to contain traces of his semen.
At Berndt's house, investigators found bondage videos with adults acting out scenes that mirrored the scenes in the photos, and a total of 390 pictures of kids. In all, investigators have identified 26 victims, and ten more victims have not yet been identified.
Berndt was a teacher at Miramonte Elementary School for over 30 years. He's being charged so far with 23 felonies, and held on $2.3 million bail.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

-
A tort claim obtained by LAist via a public records request alleges the Anaheim procurement department lacks basic contracting procedures and oversight.
-
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious.
-
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress.
-
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent.
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places.
-
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures.