Crime & Safety
5 Years For New Brunswick Teacher Who Slept With Student, 13
Sentencing for a South River resident and New Brunswick teacher's aide who admitted to a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old student.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A man who worked as a teacher's aide and coach in the New Brunswick school system was sentenced Monday to five years in state prison after he admitted earlier this year to having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old female student.
Eugene Colbert, 31, a South River resident, worked as a special education teacher's aide at New Brunswick Middle School. He was also an assistant coach for the boys basketball and football teams at the school. He's worked in the New Brunswick school district since 2009.
Their encounters took place on school property during school hours for nearly a year before Colbert was arrested in March of this year, said acting Middlesex County prosecutor Chris Kuberiet. The girl was 13, and their interactions went on for nearly a year, from November 2018 through March of 2019, said the county prosecutor.
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As Patch reported, Colbert pleaded guilty this past June to one count of aggravated sexual assault in the first degree.
Colbert must serve 85 percent of his prison terms before becoming eligible for parole. He also has to register as a Megan’s Law sex offender and be placed on parole supervision for life when he is released.
Find out what's happening in New Brunswickfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
He has since been fired from his job with the New Brunswick school system. He is also banned from any future public employment once he is released from prison.
MyCentralJersey reported that Colbert used keys to get into storage rooms and trailers where the encounters with the girl happened. Their relationship started with texting and phone calls, with Colbert texting the girl photos of his genitalia and asking her to respond in kind, according to the news report. Prosecutors said New Brunswick Middle School had video surveillance of Colbert and the female student going into an equipment storage room on multiple occasions.
They also said they have video of Colbert giving the girl a large stuffed bear on Valentine's Day.
Initial Patch report on Eugene Colbert: New Brunswick Teacher, Coach Charged With Molesting Girl, 13
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