DEER LODGE -A former captain with the Powell County Sheriff’s Office pleaded not guilty in state court to accusations he had a sexual relationship with a high school student while working as a wrestling coach for that high school.
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John Austin Micu is accused of having sex with a female student while was with the sheriff’s office and working as head wrestling coach for the school. Prosecutors allege this occurred sometime between April 1, 2024, and April 15, 2025.
Micu had been under investigation by the state for the past year after these allegations surfaced, while he was working as an assistant wrestling coach with the school.He resigned from the sheriff’s office in June after learning the state was planning to charge him in this case.
Charging documents allege Micu was intimate with the senior student while he was in a supervisory role over her as a coach for the school.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Assistant Attorney General Meghann Paddock agreed to allow Micu to remain free without a bond. She added a condition that he have no contact with non-family members under 18 years old, because the investigation shows an alleged pattern of conduct and contact resembling grooming behavior before the victim turned 18.
The judge set Micu’s trial for Dec. 7.
