A music teacher accused of giving semen-tainted flutes to elementary school students has agreed to plead guilty to state and federal charges involving various sex crimes against children, authorities said Wednesday.
John Edward Zeretzke, 61, of Ventura agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of production of child pornography, along with six state counts of lewd or lascivious acts with minors under 14 years of age.
Zeretzke pleaded not guilty to the state charges in April 2019. The Orange County Register reported that state attorneys accused Zeretzke of recording himself ejaculating into flutes that were then distributed to five girls at elementary schools across Los Angeles and Orange counties; he then took photos of the girls using the flutes. Court records show the alleged violations occurred between January and April 2017.
Federal charges brought against Zeretzke in June 2018 included five counts of sex crimes against children. The Times reported in September 2018 that none of the victims involved in the federal charges are local.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
