SIMI VALLEY : Newscaster Pleads Not Guilty to Charge
A newscaster accused of committing lewd acts with a 13-year-old girl pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Ventura County Municipal Court.
Bruce G. Bernhart, a newscaster at radio station KNX in Los Angeles, remains free on his own recognizance. Judge Charles W. Campbell Jr. scheduled a preliminary hearing Aug. 2.
The girl told Simi Valley police that the offense occurred June 19 at Bernhart’s home while he was interviewing her for a baby-sitting job. The girl said Bernhart told her that he wanted to play a game and then blindfolded her. While the girl was blindfolded, Bernhart touched her in a sexual manner, police said.
The girl told her parents of the incident and then filed a report with police. Bernhart, 39, was arrested a few hours later during his nightly newscast at the Hollywood-based station.
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