A former teacher at a charter school in St. Paul has admitted to sexually abusing a 16-year-old student in 2023 after being fired for contacting the girl.
Brandon Michael Bunney, who had taught at Hmong College Prep Academy, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court to felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct as part of a plea agreement under which he would receive a stayed prison sentence to probation and no more than two months in the workhouse. Sentencing is scheduled for May 7.
Brandon Michael Bunney (Courtesy of the Scott County Sheriff’s Office)
Bunney, 43, of Savage, was initially charged in February 2024 with felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaulting the girl between July 25, 2023, and mid-September that year while being in a position of authority over her. “The sexual relationship is believed to be ongoing,” the criminal complaint said.
The prosecution as part of the plea deal agreed to amend the complaint to the lesser charge, which does not include sexual penetration but does relate to sexual contact while being in a position of authority. The victim’s father is in agreement with the plea, according to the prosecution.
Bunney taught at Hmong College Prep Academy, located near Como and Snelling avenues, from September 2014 until May 18, 2023, “when he was relieved of his duties,” school officials said in a statement after he was charged.
Marsh Halberg, Bunney’s attorney, said Wednesday in an interview that, in general, the legal age of consent in Minnesota is 16. However, he said, the statute for third-degree criminal sexual conduct includes a “120-day rule” that prohibits anyone who was in a position of authority over someone from having sexual contact with them during the time frame.
“This was an unfortunate situation for all involved,” Halberg said. “And the lack of awareness of the 120-day rule is something that’s important for others to learn from. And one can make moral decisions about the propriety of this interaction, but from a legal standpoint, it was days away from being legal conduct.”
Three months after his firing from Hmong College Prep, Bunney joined Nicollet Middle School in Burnsville. He taught math at the school until Feb. 23, 2024, when he was arrested and officials at Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 say they learned of the allegations from police.
Rumors of an inappropriate relationship between Bunney and the girl began to surface at Hmong College Prep in spring 2023, the complaint said. School administration told him several times to stop contacting the girl, and he was ultimately fired from his teaching job for failing to do so.
After his firing, Bunney began spending more time with the girl. Numerous messages between them began six days after he was fired. By July, Bunney was sending the girl messages describing sexual acts he wanted to engage in with her, the complaint said.
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She told police it started with sexual touching in his car on St. Paul’s East Side and progressed to sexual penetration at an Apple Valley house where he lived at the time, the complaint said.
In an interview with police, Bunney said he was fired from the high school because of a “perception that I hung out with a student,” the complaint said. He said that “a bunch of people had concerns” and he was told to “kinda ghost” the girl, but he didn’t.
Bunney said he would “meet up with (the victim) to talk because she was struggling and the relationship progressed to being intimate” over the summer, the complaint said. He declined to respond to further questions about the sexual abuse, and stopped the interview.
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