sexual assault
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Castle Rock man in custody after fleeing state before sexual assault conviction
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A Castle Rock man who fled the state after being convicted of sexually abusing a child was arrested Sunday in Chaparral, N.M., authorities said. Jorge Alberto Campos, 42, failed to appear in court Friday, when a jury found him guilty of five counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of…
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Toll to sexual assault survivors rises if they feel blamed and disbelieved
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Natalie, a single mother, dropped off her son at daycare, went to therapy and then returned home. She swallowed a fistful of pills, washing them down with a six-pack of beer. She was ready to end her life. “I just wanted the pain to go away,” she said. Brittney Smith, an artist living in Colorado…
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Colorado rape cases rarely result in an arrest and prosecution
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Authorities say they are especially difficult cases. In Colorado, most go nowhere. Over the past decade, for every 10 reports of rape, there is only one arrest. Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual violence. Kiersten May remembered a fuzziness overtake her as Saturday night slid into Sunday morning at the remote Colorado mountain campsite…
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Senate committee kills bill to track education violations
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A proposed bill following in the wake of multiple Jeffco Public Schools sexual misconduct cases won’t make it to the Senate floor. The Colorado Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs committee denied proposed Senate Bill 26-055 on Tuesday afternoon with a vote of three-to-two, with Republican Senators Mark Baisley and Lynda Zamora Wilson being the…
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Colorado Supreme Court to address child’s CCTV testimony
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The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will review the impact of a victim’s closed-circuit testimony on the prosecution of a juvenile defendant. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear an appeal. There is currently one vacancy, which will be filled next month. The justices also signaled they…
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Former Centennial teacher sentenced to 60 years for sexually assaulting children
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A former teacher at a Centennial private school was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday for sexually assaulting multiple children in his care. Christopher Ballard, 28, of Lakewood, had been charged with nearly 24 sexual offenses against 12 child victims at the Journey Academy, where he had been employed since 2021, according to a…
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Parents still waiting for Jeffco counselor plea deal on sexual assault charge
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A plea deal has been delayed again for the Jeffco Public Schools counselor who allegedly started a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old student. Chloe Castro appeared in a Jefferson County District Court room in front of Judge Diego Hunt on Tuesday afternoon. Her defense attorney, Marshall Breit, noted that Castro would likely take a plea…
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Appeals court finds Jeffco judge imposed lifetime sex offender registration on man without explaining why
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Colorado’s second-highest court overturned a Jefferson County judge’s order on Thursday that subjected a defendant to lifetime sex offender registration, after she did not make findings about each of the required factors. David Lamont White pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual assault. At his 2023 plea hearing, the defense and prosecution agreed District…
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Federal judge dismisses claims that Boulder prosecutor ’emboldened’ false testimony
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A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a man’s claims that a former Boulder County prosecutor “emboldened” an alleged sexual assault victim to alter her story after the original charge was dismissed for lack of probable cause. The district attorney’s office twice attempted to prosecute Pierce Spinelli for felony sexual assault, his lawsuit alleged. But both…
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Federal judge dismisses bulk of claims against UCCS, employees over instructor’s alleged predatory behavior
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A federal judge on Monday dismissed several claims by a former University of Colorado Springs student pertaining to one professor’s alleged sexual misconduct towards her. Kristen Gearhart filed suit in April 2024 against the university, its chancellor, multiple employees and mathematics Prof. Mark Tomforde. She alleged Tomforde had a history of misconduct toward women at…
