Ryan Brungardt, Child Pornography, Kansas 2026

A shocking case of child exploitation has emerged in Kansas, with a former high school wrestling coach accused of creating and attempting to create child pornography.

According to court documents, Ryan Brungardt, 37, of Salina, was charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography. The defendant allegedly used his cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament held at Newton High School in Newton, Kansas, in January 2024.

Brungardt, a former employee at Lakewood Middle School and wrestling coach for Salina Central High School, made his initial court appearance for the criminal complaint on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday, March 9, 2026.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), Salina Police Department, and Newton Police Department are investigating the case, which is believed to involve additional seized cellphone videos suspected to have been recorded at wrestling meets and tournaments in Newton, Hays, Garden City, and Salina, Kansas, during the 2023-2024 wrestling season.

Anyone who believes they witnessed crimes or any suspicious activity at these events is asked to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 600-8790 or report at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

Brungardt is accused of using a cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament held at Newton High School in Newton, Kansas, in January 2024.

The 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 government. 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.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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