New Brunswick Teacher, Coach Charged With Molesting Girl, 13

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A paraprofessional with the New Brunswick school system has been arrested and charged with engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with a 13-year-old female student.

Eugene Colbert, 31, of South River, works as a paraprofessional in the New Brunswick school system and he is also a member of the school's coaching staff. He was arrested just yesterday, Tuesday, March 19, and charged with aggravated sexual assault in the first degree, sexual assault in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child in the second degree, aggravated criminal sexual contact in the third degree and engaging in criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree with the student.

Police say that from November 2018 through March of 2019, Colbert engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with the girl while on school property during school hours.

And the case is even more serious: The Middlesex County prosecutor, Andrew Carey, says New Brunswick school officials initially failed to notify law enforcement of the suspected criminal activity. The prosecutor's office declined to elaborate when pressed further about this allegation.

“While we can’t comment on specifics related to this matter because it’s under active investigation, we can say we’re cooperating fully with authorities and are standing by to support their efforts," said Dr. Aubrey Johnson, the superintendent of the New Brunswick school system. "To be clear, our district is committed to adhering to all laws, policies, and agreements – as evidenced by the fact that the individual charged in this case was arrested following our notification of authorities.”

Colbert has been dismissed from the New Brunswick school system. He's worked there since 2009.

During the time when the criminal conduct allegedly occurred, Colbert had supervisory and disciplinary power over the victim because he was both a teacher and a coach at her school.

Colbert was charged during an investigation by Detective Bill Coleman of the New Brunswick Police Department and Detective Oscar Ayala of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

He is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick pending his initial court appearance Wednesday.