Former SC substitute teacher tried to meet a child for sex, deputies say

A former substitute teacher in South Carolina is accused of sending obscene materials to a young girl, and trying to meet the girl to have sex, according to authorities.

The investigation began Wednesday at Ford Elementary School in Laurens County, when a school resource officer was notified of a situation involving a child, according to a release from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office.

A Special Victims Unit investigator found that someone had sent “inappropriate material” to the child’s cellphone, the release states. The investigator identified the sender as Michael Bernard Bunner, 66.

Investigators continued the text message conversation on the child’s phone, with Bunner believing he was talking to the victim, who is 12 years old, according to the Index-Journal of Greenwood.

“Mr. Bunner believed he was talking to the child and made arrangements to pick the child up from a residence to participate in sexual activities,” the release states.

Deputies set up surveillance at the home in case Bunner came to try and pick up the child, according to the sheriff’s office. He arrived at the home a short time later and was arrested after stepping out of his vehicle.

Bunner is a former substitute teacher for the school district, according to an incident report cited by WYFF. It was not clear how he first came into contact with the victim, or if he had been her substitute teacher previously.

Additional details about Bunner’s employment with the school district were not available Sunday.

Bunner was placed in the Laurens County jail on charges of criminal solicitation of a minor and two counts of disseminating obscene materials, according to Laurens County jail records. He faces up to 10 years in prison for each charge.

“This guy is without a doubt a sexual predator of children,” Sheriff Don Reynolds said in the release. “There is no place in our society for such people and I’m glad he is in jail, where he belongs. It’s only by the Grace of God and the courage of the victim’s friends to tell an adult about what was going on that we were able to stop this criminal before he could physically assault the victim.”