Unspeakable: L.A. teacher arrested, accused of disturbing lewd acts

Trigger warning: We have to warn you that this story is NOT pleasant, so please take care when reading.

Mark Berndt, a 61-year-old teacher who taught for three decades at Miramonte Elementary School in South L.A., is accused of lewd acts with 23 children between the ages of 7 and 10 — allegedly tying children up and putting giant cockroaches on their faces. And something else we’re not going to print. Berndt, who was fired in March and is being held on a $2.3 million bail, wasn’t caught as the result of children coming forward, but a photo-processor who turned pictures of some of the heinous acts over to the authorities. The L.A. Times has more, including a felony complaint. This is just appalling.