A former Kansas wrestling coach faces federal charges for allegedly producing child sexual abuse materials by secretly recording minors in a high school locker room. Ryan Brungardt, 37, of Salina, is accused of using his cellphone to film three minors while they showered during the Tournament of Champions wrestling event at Newton High School in January 2024.
Brungardt previously worked at Lakewood Middle School and served as the wrestling coach for Salina Central High School. He has been charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.
Authorities state that Brungardt appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson on March 4, 2026. A detention hearing is set for March 9, 2026.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), Salina Police Department, and Newton Police Department are conducting the investigation. Officials are reviewing additional videos believed to have been recorded at various wrestling meets in Newton, Hays, Garden City, and Salina during the 2023-2024 season. The KBI urges anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity at these events to contact them at (785) 600-8790 or through their website at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc."
Authorities remind that "a complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
