LOS ANGELES -- A bizarre case at an inner-city elementary school where a teacher was charged with taking bondage-style photographs of children has expanded with the arrest of a second teacher suspected of fondling two girls in his classroom.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said Martin B. Springer, 49, was arrested Friday. The announcement sent further shock waves through the campus already reeling from the arrest of teacher Mark Berndt who's charged with committing lewd acts on 23 children.
Springer's arrest came four days allegations surfaced against Berndt, but authorities said there was no known connection between the two cases. Springer was being held on $2 million bail.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Berndt and Springer knew each other. School newsletters show that they took their classes on at least two joint field trips over the last decade, the Times said.
The case has shocked the nation and thrown a chill into its second-largest school district, with 650,000 students across hundreds of campuses.
Parker said the victims in the second case were about 7 and 8 years old and were fondled once each in a classroom at Miramonte Elementary School during the past three years.
Detectives interviewed Springer and the alleged victims on Thursday and had him under surveillance. He was arrested Friday as he exited a school district building in South Los Angeles, Parker said.
Detectives anticipate that more victims might come forward, he said.
A phone message left at Springer's home was not immediately returned.
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy said the district plans to fire Springer next week.
"We are prepared to fire him next week and we'll do that at the next board meeting for inappropriate conduct and inappropriately touching students," the superintendent told KTTV.
In a related development, a lawyer filed a claim against the district stating that he intended to file a lawsuit alleging an unidentified girl ate a sugar cookie laced with Berndt's semen.
Earlier this week, Berndt, who worked at the school for 32 years, was charged with committing lewd acts on 23 children, ages 6 to 10, between 2005 and 2010. He remains jailed on $23 million bail and could face life in prison if convicted.
Lawyer Raymond Boucher, whose Beverly Hills firm specializes in sexual abuse lawsuits against school districts, religious institutions and hospitals, said the legal claim of behalf of "Jane Doe 1" alleges the district did not take adequate steps to prevent Berndt from repeatedly abusing children after officials received complaints about him.
After news broke early Friday about Springer being removed from the classroom, several parents took their children out of the school.
Ida Santana said her sister called her and told her to pick up her nephew.
"It's hard to leave our kids here," Santana said. "We can't trust the teachers no more. Now there's another teacher."
Santana said the family is unsure where the boy will be going to school from now on.
A neighbor told the Times Springer lives alone in the Alhambra home he grew up in. He moved back into the house after his mother died.
"I've never seen him with children ... he is always by himself, " Gabriel Urrutia, 40, told the newspaper. "I can't believe he was arrested."
The development involving the second teacher was made public a day after authorities acknowledged that 18 years ago, a 10-year-old girl claimed Berndt tried to fondle her.
Prosecutors declined to file to charges against Berndt in the 1993 report, saying they didn't have enough evidence. Berndt, who denied the allegation at the time, was never arrested.
The details of that case and other claims by two former students about strange behavior by Berndt surfaced just three days after his arrest.
The allegations raised further questions about why he wasn't disciplined by school officials, who have been lambasted by some parents for waiting a year to reveal that Berndt was suspected of blindfolding children and feeding them his own semen in his classroom in what children were allegedly told was a tasting game.
School officials and investigators said proper procedures were followed to investigate and build a case against the teacher.
The investigation of Berndt began in the fall of 2010 when a film processor became suspicious about the photographs and turned them over to investigators who notified the school district.
Berndt was immediately removed from classwork in January. The Board of Education voted to fire him in a closed session, which he challenged, before resigning.
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Associated Press writers Christopher Weber, Christina Hoag, Greg Risling and Raquel Maria Dillon contributed to this report.
PHOTOS:
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Nine-year-old Ashley Villatoro, left, holds a poster showing an image of former teacher Martin B. Springer as students arrive at Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. Children are returning to the school where the entire staff has been replaced following the arrests of two former teachers on charges of committing lewd acts with students in class. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Nine-year-old Ruby Garduno, right, holds a sign as students enter Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Kathryn Kidd, center, distribute bracelets to students outside Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Nine-year-old Ashley Villatoro, center, holds a sign showing images of former teacher Martin B. Springer outside Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
An adult accompanies two students into Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A mother who declined to give her name walks with her daughter outside Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Unified School District administrators, counselors and new teachers gather at the Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. Allegations of teacher lewd behavior comes as school district administrators move to replace the entire staff at Miramonte Elementary School while the Los Angeles Unified School District investigates two teachers arrested last week. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Student Stephanie Perez, left, reacts, as she demands to keep her teacher, along with friend, Ruby Garduno, as some parents gather to show support for teachers outside the Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. Allegations of teacher lewd behavior comes as school district administrators move to replace the entire staff at Miramonte Elementary School while the Los Angeles Unified School District investigates two teachers arrested last week. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Los Angeles Unified School District board president Monica Garcia makes a statement following a closed-door meeting of the Board of Education in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Prosecutors have filed a lewd-acts complaint against the second of two teachers removed from a Los Angeles-area elementary school, and the Board voted to fire him in the closed-door meeting. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
With portraits of school children behind him, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy takes his seat following a closed-door meeting of the Board of Education in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Parent Maria Guadalupe Garcia holds a sign reading in Spanish: " We don't want new teachers," as some parents protest replacing the staff outside the Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Parents and others protest outside Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. About three dozen parents and supporters staged a protest at the Los Angeles-area school rocked by allegations of lewd conduct crimes by two teachers against children. They demanded greater communication with education officials and the placement of cameras in classrooms and hallways at Miramonte Elementary School. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Ivis Urbina, right, with her granddaughter Alexa Agillon, 6, protest with others outside Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. About three dozen parents and supporters staged a protest at the Los Angeles-area school rocked by allegations of lewd conduct crimes by two teachers against children. They demanded greater communication with education officials and the placement of cameras in classrooms and hallways at Miramonte Elementary School. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Los Angeles Unified School District police guard the front door of Miramonte Elementary school as parents protest outside in Los Angeles on Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. About three dozen parents and supporters staged a protest at the Los Angeles-area school rocked by allegations of lewd conduct crimes by two teachers against children. They demanded greater communication with education officials and the placement of cameras in classrooms and hallways at Miramonte Elementary School. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Parents bring their children to school as others protest outside Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. About three dozen parents and supporters staged a protest at the Los Angeles-area school rocked by allegations of lewd conduct crimes by two teachers against children. They demanded greater communication with education officials and the placement of cameras in classrooms and hallways at Miramonte Elementary School. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Edgar Flores, right, encourages other parents to join a protest outside Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. About three dozen parents and supporters staged a protest at the Los Angeles-area school rocked by allegations of lewd conduct crimes by two teachers against children. They demanded greater communication with education officials and the placement of cameras in classrooms and hallways at Miramonte Elementary School. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Attorney Luis Carrillo announces a claim against the school district on behalf of Dalia Gutierrez, the mother a girl who was an alleged victim of teacher Mark Berndt between 2008 and 2010, at the Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. Berndt, 61, who worked at the school for 32 years, has charged with committing lewd acts on 23 children, ages 6 to 10, between 2005 and 2010. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Dalia Gutierrez wears the coat of her attorney, Luis Carrillo, not shown, before announcing a claim for alleged abuse suffered by her daughter at Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. Teacher Mark Berndt, 61, who worked at the school for 32 years, has charged with committing lewd acts on 23 children, ages 6 to 10, between 2005 and 2010. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Yolanda Sanchez talks about what she describes as documented child abuse of her son, outside the Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles, Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. About three dozen parents and supporters staged a protest at the Los Angeles-area school rocked by allegations of lewd conduct crimes by two teachers against children. They demanded greater communication with education officials and the placement of cameras in classrooms and hallways at Miramonte Elementary School. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies stand outside Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. About three dozen parents and supporters staged a protest at the Los Angeles-area school rocked by allegations of lewd conduct crimes by two teachers against children. They demanded greater communication with education officials and the placement of cameras in classrooms and hallways at Miramonte Elementary School. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
This 2003 photo provided by Flor Cervantes shows former Miramontes Elementary teacher Mark Berndt with her sister, Angelica Zuniga, then a third-grader, at the school in Los Angeles. Angelica Zuniga, 16, now a high school junior, said Berndt, who is now suspected of taking bondage-style photographs of children in his class, never asked her or others to do anything strange or to play any inappropriate games. (AP Photo/Flor Cervantes)
This 2003 photo provided by Flor Cervantes shows former Miramontes Elementary teacher Mark Berndt with her sister, Angelica Zuniga, holding a citizenship diploma given to her by Brendt, at the school in Los Angeles. Angelica Zuniga, 16, now a high school junior, said Berndt, who is suspected of taking bondage-style photographs of children in his class, never asked her or others to do anything strange or to play any inappropriate games. (AP Photo/Flor Cervantes)
This 2003 photo provided by Flor Cervantes shows former Miramontes Elementary teacher Mark Berndt with her sister, Angelica Zuniga, then a third-grader, at the school in Los Angeles. Angelica Zuniga, 16, now a high school junior, said Berndt, who is suspected of taking bondage-style photographs of children in his class, never asked her or others to do anything strange or to play any inappropriate games. (AP Photo/Flor Cervantes)
Miramonte Elementary school principal Martin Sandoval walks out to address the media outside the school in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. Veteran Miramonte Elementary school teacher Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested on charges of lewd conduct with 23 children after a film processor gave police photos showing blindfolded children with their mouths taped and cockroaches on their faces. Berndt, 61, not seen, was arrested Jan. 30, 2012 and remained jailed Tuesday on $2.3 million bail. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
The Miramonte Elementary school's principal, Martin Sandoval speaks to the media outside his school in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. Veteran Miramontes Elementary school teacher Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested on charges of lewd conduct with 23 children after a film processor gave police photos showing blindfolded children with their mouths taped and cockroaches on their faces. Berndt, 61, not seen, was arrested Jan. 30, and remained jailed Tuesday on $2.3 million bail. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A student enters into Miramontes Elementary School in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Students are escorted to a waiting bus as they leave Miramonte Elementary school after classes Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Police are seen at the The Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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By ROBERT JABLON 02/ 4/12 02:33 PM ET Associated Press