Gymnastics coach arrested for indecency with a child has Houston connection

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Michael Lenn Spiller, who prosecutors said worked closely with children for the last six decades, is now accused of sexual misconduct.

He was arrested in Boerne, Texas, in November, where police said he has been working for the last 30 years at the Boerne Gymnastics Center, but investigators said he previously lived and worked in the Houston area.

"Our investigation shows Spiller has ties to several cities in Texas, including Houston, Giddings, Galveston, and Boerne," Boerne Police Chief Steve Perez said.

At a press conference, Perez said they are currently working with five victims, two of whom allege crimes in Houston.

Our partners at the Houston Chronicle profiled one of those victims, who said she was 10 years old in 1983 when the man known as "Coach Mike" cuddled and touched her during a gymnastics sleepover at the gym where he worked, called Rowland's Northwest.

Spiller's arrest in Boerne stems from another victim, now an adult, who said she was 12 -13 years old when he was the bus driver for a gymnastics summer camp called Circus Arts for Kids. It was held at the Boerne Gymnastics Center in either 2001 or 2002.

"The victim advised during their time at the camp, Spiller would transport the group of kids from the gymnastics center to a bed and breakfast. The victim told our detective that Spiller exposed himself on two different occasions during the bus ride. The victim stated Spiller would point the rear-view mirror down, in a downward position exposing his genitals to the victim and possibly other children on the bus," Perez said. "The victim says she could see his genitals, told him to stop, but he would not."

Perez said the victim came forward in October of this year, and they filed their first arrest warrant for him in November. Spiller turned himself in to Boerne police on Nov. 18 and later bonded out, but he was arrested again on a second warrant for a similar crime alleged by the same victim.

The U.S. Center for SafeSport also filed a temporary suspension against him back in June after the Houston Chronicle said a third victim, still a juvenile, reported he put his hand down the back of her leotard while she was training at the Boerne Gymnastics Center in April.

Police said he has worked in Texas, California, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Switzerland.

"Several other allegations of sexual misconduct spanning multiple jurisdictions and countries, going back as far as 1976, have been discovered," Kendall County District Attorney Nicole Bishop said.

Prosecutors ask other victims to come forward, regardless of where or when the alleged crime took place.

"It does not matter when it may have occurred. No case is too old," Bishop said. "Additionally, specially-trained victim advocates at the Kendall County District Attorney's office are available to assist and provide support as well."

Houston police are aware of the investigation into Spiller. They are asking Houston-area victims to call Lt. John Colburn with the Crimes Against Children Division at 713-830-3265 and tell the intake officer it is in reference to the Spiller cases.

Spiller remains behind bars in Kendall County for charges related to the bus incidents in Boerne. A grand jury has also indicted him on this case.

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