A former Guadalupe Union School District teacher who pleaded no contest to lewd conduct in public must serve 30 days in County Jail, plus three years probation, after he was sentenced Thursday morning in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.
James Robert Ungricht, 35, originally from Fallbrook in San Diego County, is a former math teacher at Kermit McKenzie Junior High School. Criminal charges were brought against him by the District Attorney's Office in October 2017, after female students saw him touching himself at the Cal Poly library.
As part of his sentence, Ungricht must attend sex offender counseling as directed by the Probation Department, and is prohibited from coming within 100 yards of the Cal Poly campus, according to the San Luis Obispo District Attorney's Office.
He does not have to register as a sex offender for the crime, according to the prosecution.
Ungricht was taking an education course as a master's student at the time of the incident. University officials declined to comment on his future at Cal Poly, citing privacy laws.
According to the Cal Poly student search web portal, Ungricht is still enrolled as a student at the school.
While there is no law that prohibits someone with a misdemeanor from attending a university, according to the prosecution, Ungricht is ordered to stay away from the school campus, which would prohibit him from attending classes there, other than possibly taking online courses.
Ungricht's teaching credential remains suspended by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, per state education code.
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According to official documents from the Cal Poly Police Department, on Oct. 3, 2017, two female students witnessed Ungricht at the campus' Kennedy Library touching himself and staring intently at them while seated with his laptop in front of him, which they stated "made [them] feel uncomfortable."
Later that evening, around 10 p.m., Cal Poly Police officers were dispatched to the Kennedy Library "regarding a report of a male subject rubbing himself in a lewd manner while looking at [the reporting person]" but couldn't find the suspect, according to police records.
Another female student called police officers at 11 p.m. that night, claiming that Ungricht sat down at a table next to her with a laptop and a book, then began "rubbing his pants with his left hand," police reports said.
On Oct. 13, 2017, police located Ungricht and interviewed him, during which Ungricht initially denied doing anything lewd and lascivious before eventually admitting that he was stimulating himself sexually.
Ungricht was arrested by Cal Poly Police on Oct. 18, 2017, and was placed on administrative leave by the Guadalupe Unified School District. A week later, Ungricht was placed on compulsory unpaid leave after district officials learned of his charge.
Ungricht was hired by GUSD in August 2014 and officially resigned Jan. 10, 2018.
On Nov. 16, a month after his arrest, GUSD parents were first notified of "possible issues concerning a district teacher." Superintendent Ed Cora's letter assured parents that "there is currently no evidence suggesting that the teacher's conduct involves district students or schools."
