Published Monday, December 15, 2008 11:39 AM
Indicted ex-teacher from Bryan found in Ukraine
Former Bryan elementary school teacher and soccer coach Bruce Unger — who jumped bail days before his felony trial more than a year ago — has been tracked down by authorities in the Ukraine, Brazos County Sheriff Chris Kirk said.
Authorities said he voluntarily got on a plane Monday after being detained by Ukranian authorities. He will be returned to the courthouse where his trial was supposed to begin.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Olena Melnyk told the Associated Press that police detained Unger, 29, outside the capital Kiev on Saturday. U.S. authorities had requested help in handing him over. The U.S. Embassy confirmed that information.
Unger was arrested in Bryan in 2006 on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and three counts of indecency with a child. He was released on $100,000 bail, but failed to show up in court Nov. 29, 2007 for a pre-trial hearing just days before the case was set to begin. He faced life in prison, if convicted.
He had worked as an English instructor in Kiev since arriving in November 2007.
Kirk said his office has been working with the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, Bryan police and the District Attorney’s Office after receiving information that he was in the Ukraine.
“Working with the FBI, they actually were able to get a story in the newspaper that led to some tips and ultimately found him,” Kirk said.
Several years ago, Unger was widely praised for a soccer program for at-risk boys he started in Bryan schools in 2003 and was named one of USA Weekend’s Most Caring Coaches in 2005. He taught at Neal Elementary School for about four years before he was placed on administrative leave until his contract lapsed following his 2006 arrest. He survived the Bonfire collapse and met his future wife, whose sister died in the accident, at a meeting involving the incident.
• The Associated Press and The Eagle contributed to this report.
Comments
14 comment(s) found!
Posted by:
On:
Thursday, December 18, 2008 10:30 AM
Comment Title:
Bryan Drug addiction that some Police have reported as high as 70% in some areas is the problem. Low life.s like to stay together. Even their Bryan Police who made over $100,000+ lived in safer CS.
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Posted by:
On:
Thursday, December 18, 2008 8:46 AM
Comment Title: Passport Please
Just wondering how this guy got out of the country. Is it only on television that alleged felons surrender their passports when posting bail? I know this is hindsight, but aren't most felons flight risks? Except P. David of course. I am sure this is not the first felon to cut and run, but to the Ukraine? Seems like another sex offender ran pretty far in the past decade and hid out for a long time, but did stay in the country. This should not be unexpected.
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Posted by:
On:
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 12:25 PM
Comment Title: Grow UP
I am a graduate from Texas A&M at Galveston. I was raised in Bryan and went to BISD schools through high school. I have never been arrested and have a loving wife. Where you are from makes no difference. It would be nice to see the above persons realize that and stop talking down on people's hometowns.
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Posted by:
On:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 4:38 PM
Comment Title:
BISD has had way more than two teacher-student problems (including one involving a big name), but College Station has had even more. Both districts just like to keep it really quiet. It only gets out when the police get involved.
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Posted by:
On:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 2:06 PM
Comment Title:
I believe if you had checked Unger's address before JusticeWeb updated it, you would have found him to be a College Station resident. We all knew this of courese, because this is TCSB (typical College Station behavior), and the responses below represent TCSH (typical College Station hypocracy).
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Posted by:
On:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 10:27 AM
Comment Title:
BISD Has had to many of this type working why? Remember the ROTC Teacher at the high school? ?
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Posted by:
On:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 9:50 AM
Comment Title: U can run but not hide
Seems like a lot of alleged child molesters choose to teach English abroad?
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Posted by:
TAMU Class '99 On:
Monday, December 15, 2008 11:49 PM
Comment Title:
This Lake Kiowa native is a TAMU graduate. Supposedly he was a Red Pot at the collapsed TAMU bonfire. It has been said he had odd tendencies as early as his sophomore year at TAMU. Who knows, and it is too bad pedophile tendencies cannot be detected during job application/screening process.
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Posted by:
Curious On:
Monday, December 15, 2008 10:28 PM
Comment Title: Washington County?
I think I've heard of Washington County during one of the weather Alerts on KBTX. Isn't there a town or something there?
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Posted by:
Brenham TX On:
Monday, December 15, 2008 8:41 PM
Comment Title:
This type of behavior is not acceptable in Washington County. This may be why we have a Jail full of Bryan Thugs.
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Posted by:
On:
Monday, December 15, 2008 8:39 PM
Comment Title:
Bryan residents Goons need to find Jobs for something other then a way to steal,rape and sale drugs.
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Posted by:
NBC-NORMAL BRYAN CITIZEN-Criminal On:
Monday, December 15, 2008 8:37 PM
Comment Title:
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Posted by:
Serene1 On:
Monday, December 15, 2008 5:07 PM
Comment Title: nice police work
Good job, but how in the world did the local police dept. find this guy? They must have had a pretty reliable tip. I don't think the net of B/CS police work extends to the Ukraine.
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Posted by:
Inspector Callahan On:
Monday, December 15, 2008 3:44 PM
Comment Title:
The long arm of the law reels in another one. Like in the Clint Eastwood flick, The Gauntlet, what are the odds on this Unger cat surviving to serve time in prison. Advice to authorities: suicide watch.....
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