Jul 16, 2008 9:45 pm US/Pacific
3rd Grade Teacher Accused Of Molesting Students
LATHROP (CBS13) ―
A former Lathrop school teacher turned himself in to authorities after being charged with sex offenses against children as young as eight years old.
Michael Berchtold, 32, turned himself in to San Joaquin County Sheriff's detectives on Wednesday for two counts of lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14 years old and three counts of annoying or molesting a child.
At the time of the alleged crimes, Berchtold was a third grade teacher at Joseph Widmer Jr. Elementary school in Lathrop. At least three victims, aged from eight to nine years old, have been identified thus far, according the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department.
"He was one of those teachers everybody wanted in their classrooms because he was a good teacher and he cared about the kids," said Sheryl Patton, a parent whose daughter attended his classes. "If it's true, it's deplorable."
Authorities say Berchtold was also active in youth programs in the area, including sports and church programs. Investigators are trying to determine if there are more victims other than his students.
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