Ex-gymnastic coach convicted of molesting children arrested again

A former Hanover Park gymnastics instructor sent to prison nearly a decade ago for molesting three girls he coached is now in a Michigan jail on new charges of sexual conduct with a child.

Bryan C. Brown, 38, is being held in Macomb County, Mich., on $5 million bond on a felony charge that he molested a 5-year-old girl, police in Warren, Mich., confirmed.

In a case that gained wide attention at the time, Brown pleaded guilty in 1999 to molesting three girls at the Gymkhana Gymnastics Club in Hanover Park and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

At his sentencing, the Cook County judge called Brown, who was living in Elk Grove Village at the time of his 1997 arrest, "one of the sickest human beings" the judge had encountered.

But many children Brown had coached and their parents continued to support him during the case. Some parents testified that they'd let him coach their children again if he were released from jail.

Jan Bass of Hanover Park has two daughters who on occasion were left alone in Brown's care. She was a staunch supporter of Brown and visited him many times in prison. Her firm belief in his innocence was shaken with news of the new charges.

"I'm at a loss for words, to be completely honest," said Bass, who last spoke with Brown a few years ago. "I hope it's not true."

She remains confident there was never inappropriate contact between Brown and her own daughters.

"I know nothing happened," she said. "We feel secure in that."

The new charge stemmed from Brown's arrest in April for marijuana possession, said detective Bob Krist of the Warren Police Department in suburban Detroit.

A girl who is not related to Brown was removed from Brown's home at the time of that arrest and taken into protective custody, where police said she made statements alleging the misconduct.

Authorities then searched the house and confiscated a computer, videotapes and CDs, which are now under review by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Krist said.

ICE notified Warren police that a man they believe is Brown is shown on one of the videotapes molesting the girl, and authorities arrested Brown at his home on May 2, police said.

Brown was released from prison in October 2003 after he served nearly half of an eight-year sentence, an Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman said.

Two months later, Brown returned to prison for a parole violation, details of which are undisclosed. He was let out May 2005, corrections documents show.

Brown is listed on the Illinois sex offender registry as living in Warren.