Suspended Tri-West football coach and teacher arrested on charges of child seduction
By Lindsay Doty
Hendricks County Sheriff’s deputies arrested suspended Tri-West High School football coach and teacher Tyler Bruce on Tuesday evening at his home in Pittsboro on preliminary charges of child seduction and obstruction of justice, according to police.
He was taken to the Hendricks County Jail and has since been released on a $500 bond, said Captain Amanda Goings with the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest stems from a 2019 criminal investigation into an inappropriate relationship with a student that started with an anonymous tip to police in May of 2019
“Since that time we have been working alongside our partners at the Department of Child Services and the Northwest Hendricks School Corporation to determine the facts in the case,” said Captain Goings.
The public school district located in Lizton placed the 31-year-old math teacher and football coach on administrative leave in May.
The decision sparked an uproar in the community and within district leadership.
Superintendent Mike Springer resigned in October after the school board voted to go against his recommendation to fire the coach.
In August, a lawyer representing the parents of the teenage female student filed a tort claim notice against the school corporation. It claimed that Bruce molested and abused the student and threatened to make her look bad if she told anyone, according to the claim.
Bruce has been on paid administrative leave. He denies the allegations.
The ICON reached out to the Northwest Hendricks School Corporation and will provide their statement when it is available.
North West Hendricks School Corporation released a statement via communications consultant Donna Petraits late Wednesday afternoon: “North West Hendricks School Corporation and the Board of Trustees are grateful to the Hendricks County Sheriff and the Dept. of Child Protective Services for their efforts in investigating the charges against Tyler Bruce. Their thorough investigation has provided evidence that was previously unavailable and inaccessible to the board. The board finds this conduct egregious and contrary to everything the school district stands for.
“Based on this new information, the school administration has changed Mr. Bruce’s status to an unpaid suspension effective immediately and has given preliminary notice to Mr. Bruce that his contract will be canceled and employment terminated in accordance with I.C. 20-28-7.5. The status of Mr. Bruce’s teacher licensure is a separate issue that is handled by the Indiana Department of Education.
“This has created great division in our small community and the school board joins the community in its desire for a swift resolution to this matter. In the meantime, the board and administration are committed to restoring trust, aggressively reviewing policies and procedures and seeking remedies to bring harmony back to our community.
“The safety and security of our students is our foremost responsibility. We look forward to strengthening our community partnerships to protect them while providing the best possible education.”
