Defense lawyer asks not any rush to help judgment
Mark Berndt, 61, shows up with court unshaven and silent
He lost his job around January 2011, subsequently appeared to be rotting in jail twelve months later
Police point out his DNA fits sperm discovered upon spoons with his classroom
Los Angeles (CNN) A past lower California schoolteacher came into a not really guilty plea Tuesday to allegations he chained fresh students, then photographed them along with semen-filled spoons placed at their jaws as well as three-inch cockroaches crawling throughout their particular faces, concerning other video depictions.
Authorities have reported they've observed estimated 600 images presumably taken through Mark Berndt, 61, throughout his classroom.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marcelita Haynes collection the following studying pertaining to March 28.
Berndt's attorney at law is requesting to discover all the images gripped by means of investigators, women and men district attorney's workplace possesses solely granted your ex duplicates involving 200 photographs in the 23 alleged persons whom have been identified. The judge will consider if the remaining photos, such as people when of times have not recently been identified, will be offered into the defense.
Berndt, wearing a good fruit arrest jumpsuit, talked only once through the brief hearing, saying "not guilty."
The security complained to be able to the ascertain which Berndt was not made possible in order to shave before their the courtroom appearance.
"They are usually purposefully depriving your ex boyfriend associated with this occasion consequently he appears unkempt," as an alternative to being a skilled educator, his legal representative said.
Victor Acevedoalso complained that will jailers possess discovered Berndt growing up molester within the jail's speaker system.
"We cannot develop the sheriff's office deputies acting usual solution to essentially put a new bull's-eye on his head," Acevedo shared with reporters following your hearing.
The sheriff purchased a strong inside extramarital affairs examination on the criticism Tuesday, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. Jail supervisors claimed that they were not aware from the incident, Whitmore said.
Berndt's court-appointed lawyer pleaded having journalists outside court in order to "not that will poison your well" versus Berndt while in the minds with possibilities jurors utilizing reporting. He reminded these folks in the Duke lacrosse rape case by which three competitors had been accused involving sexually assaulting an spectacular dancer for a March 14, 2006, party.
"Everybody was generally guilty while in the marketing and for the extremely end, when every thing has been located out, that they dismissed most of the charges versus all of the lacrosse players," Acevedo said.
He vowed in which they would certainly mount a "very strenuous defense" belonging to the ex - teacher.
Attorney Gloria Allred, identified to take high-profile, controversial cases, had been throughout court docket to help observe. She reported she ended up being recently hired by simply parents with one of Berndt's alleged victims .
Dismissed through this Los Angeles Unified School District college table about 1 year ago, Berndt was arrested January 30. He appeared in judge a pair of days later, right after which in turn your dog had been bought placed about $23 trillion bail $1 million for every with the 23 is important of lewd acts on your baby this they faces.
All of them original 23 patients had been between 7 and also 10 years old, in addition to most of however a couple of of these had been girls, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.
Since Berndt's primary appearance, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Dan Scott reported a further 200 pics purportedly considered because of the longtime Miramonte Elementary School educator possessed been found.
It is doubtful what, if any, supplemental premiums Berndt may perhaps skin consequently of these breakthrough or even some other tendencies inside the investigation.
The law enforcement probe started out when investigators observed "over 40 photographs depicting babies in the college classroom, utilizing sight blindfolded and teeth taken care of using tape," a Los Angeles County sheriff's record said.
"Investigators realized this most of the photos depicted believe Mark Berndt along with his tricep / bicep around the children, and also along with his spend their particular mouths," in respect towards sheriff's department.
Some shots exhibited "children together with large live Madagascar-type cockroaches on their faces plus mouths." Others show woman scholars with "what was first a blue cheap spoon, filled with an unidentified clear/white the liquid substance, approximately their lip area seeing that if they have been visiting ingest the substance," said your sheriff's department.
Scott said that will Berndt was rotting in jail shortly afterwards research tests coordinated Berndt's DNA with a drug soon after decided to become semen from the blue plastic material table spoon in addition to an clean container coming from a garbage rubbish bin throughout his classroom.
The youthful individuals "didn't know they were victimized," explained the sheriff's team spokesman.
"They thought we were looking at getting blindfolded plus gagged when a game," Scott added. "And these were rewarded using cookies or perhaps spoons full of sugar, (but) these people could not realize that tea spoon comprised semen."
A seek connected with Berndt's property located a huge selection of photographs depicting children along with a video clip displaying erectile "bondage" task that "mirrored your bondage-type photos belonging to the children," investigators said.
Parent Bessy Garcia, the mother of two young children who have been concerning Berndt's alleged victims , talked regarding betrayal.
"He had not been simply a teacher, your dog has been our personal friend," the girl shared with CNN previously that month. "He tricked us. We thought he had been the most effective man or women from the world."
Los Angeles School Superintendent John Deasy reported in which Berndt was removed from his / her educating career inside January 2011, after school officials realized on the law enforcement investigation.
A teacher for 30 years, Berndt initially questioned the teachers district's judgement in order to write off him. But he or she ultimately fell his / her attractiveness plus reconciled previous spring.
His public court this particular January precipitated your broader fallout, on the adequacy regarding safeguards with the school's scholars plus the possibility of a lot more victims.
Days once Berndt seemed to be used into custody, one more Miramonte Elementary teacher Martin Springer, 49 had been imprisoned along with priced along with three felony matters of lewd behaviors with a young lady below the age of 14. He has pleaded definitely not guilty.
The education aboard consequently close Miramonte along with regard to a couple of days, during that your aboard reconstituted the complete staff while in the 1,400-student school. Miramonte can be found inside unincorporated Los Angeles County inside Florence-Firestone area, about 6 kilometers south regarding downtown Los Angeles.
CNN's Casey Wian fork out to the current report.
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