Teacher Admits Taking Student’s Bet : But Didn’t Invite High School Class to Gamble, He Says

A Sun Valley high school teacher denied in court Wednesday that he asked students in a class if they were interested in betting on a football game, but he admitted taking bets from a student and another teacher.

Charles Hammond, accused of running a bookie operation at John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, testified at a hearing in San Fernando Municipal Court that he never asked his class to gamble.

“I would never do a thing like that,” Hammond said. “I’ve got a year to retire and . . . that would be pretty stupid.”

Regulo Carlos Monarque, a former student of Hammond’s, testified Tuesday that in October, 1988, the teacher “asked the whole class if they were interested in betting.” Monarque, 18, said only one student responded to Hammond’s invitation to gamble.

The 54-year-old English teacher was arrested at the school on Jan. 6 after a student told school officials that the teacher was taking bets. He was later charged with nine counts of bookmaking and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Placed $2 Bet

Student Mark Lindstrom, 19, testified that he placed a $2 bet with Hammond on three football games and lost. The teacher admitted that he accepted the bet but denied that the incident took place on campus. He also testified that he “never bet with any other students.”

However, Hammond admitted taking bets from a teacher and another school employee on school grounds.

George Milton, a teacher at the school, testified that he placed a $10 bet with Hammond on a horse race and later collected $142 in winnings. School employee Diane Morton said she won a $100 bet on the 1988 Super Bowl.

Hammond denied he is a bookmaker, saying he only gambled with a small group of friends. “I didn’t do it for profit,” Hammond said. “I do it for fun. I look at it as entertainment.”

Hammond, who is free on his own recognizance, was ordered by San Fernando Municipal Judge Gregg Marcus to return to court on June 16 when a trial date will be set.