Grand Junction, COLORADO

October 29, 2008 - Michael Morrow, 63, a teacher's aide at Grand Mesa Middle School for the last 3 weeks, was arrested for possession of child pornography. Federal agents say he had about 13,000 child porn images on his external hard drive.

During the investigation Federal agents say, Morrow admitted to receiving, viewing, and sending images and video files of child pornography.

If you have any information concerning this case investigators have asked that you call the Sheriffs office. The number is 970-244-3500.
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OTHER:
U.S. Attorney's Office Press Release (dated Oct. 29, 2008)
QUOTE According to an affidavit in support of a Criminal Complaint, on October 27, 2008, ICE agents executed a search warrant at Michael Morrow’s home, after receiving information that an individual using an Internet Protocol (IP) address at Morrow’s residence may be involved with the sexual exploitation of children. Agents conducted a preview examination of Morrow’s hard drive, finding numerous image files of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. During the investigation, Morrow stated that he had approximately 13,000 images of child pornography, ranging in age from toddlers to teens.

“Tragically, Mr. Morrow was actively involved in several organizations which gave him direct access to children,” said United States Attorney Troy Eid. UNQUOTE
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Grand Junction Free Press (Oct. 29) "Feds arrest former Grand Mesa Middle School aide on child porn charges"
Morrow said he had been collecting and sharing such images via the Internet for years, which he'd received from "Chris LNU" of the Netherlands.

Morrow had recently written sports columns for the Grand Junction Free Press. He was an unpaid contributor. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on Wednesday reported on its Web site that Morrow had worked there as a copy editor.

Grand Junction, COLORADO

Feb 21, 2008 - Matt Lindholm, 32, has been released on bond and will be tracked by a Global Positioning System ankle monitor. Lindholm was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexual assault on a child. He is a business teacher at Central High School.

Lindholm is accused of kissing and fondling a female student during separate incidents at the school this year. A parent told the principal Feb 9 that she heard that Lindholm was “getting too close” to the girl. Lindholm is married. Central High School Athletics Director Paul Cain said he warned Lindholm at the end of the 2006-2007 school year about getting too close to the student, according to Lindholm’s arrest affidavit.

Lindholm faces charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and sexual assault on a child as a pattern of abuse.

INEXPLICABLE NOTE IN STORY

District 51 spokesman Jeff Kirtland said the school district will implement new training on ethical behavior for all of its employees in the fall, but the training was not prompted solely by this investigation. He said school supervisors are required to act on information of improprieties by staff, but that information can’t be speculative.

“There’s the expectation that issues are resolved on a factual basis and in the best interest for students,” he said.

Kirtland said the district does not have a policy for a time line in which staff members are required to report allegations of misconduct against other staff members.

Posted Comment at newspaper site.

As a former high school teacher, I just can't understand how teachers end up with these "lapses in judgment." I don't get what makes them think it's a good idea to do anything that might somehow be deemed inappropriate with a student. It takes a lot of work to become a good teacher, to be respected and to get a good job at a school you love. Why would anyone jeopardize that, and the reputation of a student? I feel bad for him because now he'll have this stigma to deal with forever. I feel bad for the student involved because she's going to face a lot of unwanted and unnecessary attention as well.

Lindholm will be formally advised of his charges March 4.

RESIGNED Feb 26 - Lindholm resigned his teaching position in a one-sentence letter. Investigators, according to Lindholm’s arrest affidavit, also uncovered letters, e-mails, text messages and gifts showing the teacher’s romantic feelings for the student. Investigators learned he might have kissed and had other inappropriate contact with a student starting at the end of the 2006-2007 school year.

IN COURT March 6 - Lindholm was granted supervised visits of relatives with supervision by an adult over 18. Conditions of his bond required him to have no contact with children under 18. Today his attorney asked for an exception to one of those conditions so Lindholm could see his 5 and 11 year old nephews and his 2 year old niece in the care of his parents. The prosecution did not object and the judge granted the motion.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING October 7 - Lindholm had pleaded guilty in July to a felony charge of attempted sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. He was sentenced to five years intensive probation for the attempted sexual assault of a student. He must also register as a sex offender.

The victim’s mother told Mesa County District Judge Richard Gurley that Lindholm’s actions severed ties between her and the teenager, and also damaged the teen’s relationships with her friends and others on the basketball team.

“I always wanted to believe children are safe,” the victim’s mother said. “(She) was taken advantage of. He manipulated her into thinking her life should revolve around him. Mr. Lindholm stole these years away from (her) and me.”

The victim’s family members said the teen was subjected to ridicule and harassment from parents and other students this year after news of the student and teacher relationship emerged.

The punishment, however, did not fit the crime, according to statements from the victim, her mother, father and stepfather, who wanted Lindholm to spend some time in jail.

Monument, COLORADO

Dec 20, 2007 -
Gregory Jackson, a math teacher at Lewis Palmer Middle School, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.

Two female students said that Jackson touched them in an inappropriate sexual manner while in his capacity as a basketball coach. Jackson has been placed on paid leave.

Police ask that anyone who may have information regarding this situation to contact Detective Jerry Day at 719-520-7291.

GUILTY PLEA September 16, 2008 - Jackson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge in Colorado Springs. He had faced five counts of felony sexual assault. Prosecutors dropped those charges as part of the plea deal. Jackson agreed to surrender his teaching certificate for a year while he is on probation.

He no longer works for the district.
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TT - Colorado, like Tennessee, is not known for robust sentencing of teachers. Partly inept prosecution and partly politics, those are great states if you want to sexually engage students and still be able to teach. Thanks, however, to the Internet and news archives, it's unlikely that anyone outside of Colorado will hire such people in the future.

And if we were state directors of education, we would look very closely at any teachers who were previously employed in these two states.

Colorado Springs, COLORADO

Feb 15, 2008 -
Lloyd Clark, 73, a substitute teacher is "speechless" that he was arrested after allegedly offering money to a student in exchange for sex. He is charged with felony of solicitation for child prostitution.

The incident happened at Wasson High School in Colorado Springs School District 11.

ARREST AFFIDAVIT Feb 20 - An arrest affidavit obtained by 11 News reveals disturbing details about what a District 11 substitute teacher allegedly asked a student to do in a recorded phone conversation.

Documents say 73-year-old Lloyd Clark offered a 15-year-old boy as much as $5,000 to perform sexual acts. The first incident allegedly happened in a classroom at Wasson High School last Thursday. The student immediately contacted the school resource officer.

According to the arrest affidavit, detectives then set up a recorded phone conversation between the alleged victim and Clark. In the conversation, a detective says Clark reiterated the agreement he allegedly made with the student earlier that day.

Feb 27 - Clark, who remains free on $10,000 bail, was ordered to return to court April 23 for a possible disposition.

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING (Sorta) September 17 - Clark pleaded guilty to o a charge of misdemeanor harassment, unlawful conduct on public property, as part of an agreement with prosecutors. A felony charge of solicitation for child prostitution was dropped, court records show.

Fourth Judicial District Judge Gregory Werner sentenced Clark to one year of supervised probation, ordered him to relinquish his teaching certificate for a year and ordered that he have no contact with anyone younger than 18 years old except family members.

Clark was the second former teacher this week to be accused of felony sexual misconduct with a student, then to plead guilty to a non-sex-related misdemeanor. A former Lewis-Palmer Middle School teacher and girls basketball coach, Gregory Jackson, pleaded guilty to harassment Monday after being charged with felony sexual assault on a child.

TT Entry for Jackson.

TT - Surely it is the responsiility of the Department of Education to impose sanctions on Clark's teaching certificate. Perhaps the judge didn't trust that they would do anything.

Lakewood, COLORADO

CHARGES DISMISSED

Apr 20, 2007 - April T. Robertson, 32, a teacher's aide at Sobesky Academy, a special-education school, was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old male student.

She was arrested for investigation of several felony charges including sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust”, sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust with a pattern and enticement of a child.

CHARGES DISMISSED September 25, 2008 - Charges of sex assault of a child by a person in a position of trust, and enticement of a child, against April T. Robertson were dismissed in June, according to court records. The case is closed, court records state.
Robertson no longer works for the school district.
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TT - No reason given.

Evergreen, COLORADO

SENTENCED TO FIFTEEN YEARS TO LIFE.

ARRESTED May 24, 2007 -
William Eisenman, 32, a music teacher at Evergreen High School and Evergreen Middle School, was arrested for sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and sexual assault on a child, pattern of abuse.

Investigators became aware of two separate allegations against Eisenman involving female students at the high school. Eisenman is being held on a no bond hold.
Full Name: William Robert Eisenman

Sheriff's Office News Release here
(Photo courtesy of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.)

Investigators believe that additional victims may exist and are urging anyone with additional information to contact the tip line at 303-271-5612.

CHARGES FILED May 31 - Thirteen felony charges were filed, including one count of sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust, and 12 counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust in a pattern of conduct. Eisenman posted a $35,000 bond and is on administrative leave.

GUILTY VERDICT June 24 -(Article by Pam Russell, the public information officer for District Attorney Scott Storey, found at YourHub.com) Jurors found Eisenman guilty of one count of sexual assault of a child by one in a position of trust in a pattern of conduct, a class three felony. He was also found guilty of providing alcohol to a minor, a class four felony. The jury acquitted him of unlawful sexual contact involving another female student who had turned 18.

In March, 2007 he registered at a hotel room in the Denver area and drove the girl there so that she could model the clothing for him. Eisenman sexually assaulted the teen for the first time at the hotel.

Over the next two months he continued to sexually assault the teen at the school, in his car, in hotels and at his home. During a jazz festival in Greeley, Eisenman invited a friend of his to the hotel to have a "threesome."

AND,

Prosecutors showed the jurors how Eisenman had groomed the teen starting with being a good listener and friend. But as their relationship grew he told her that he had a heart condition that was incurable and that he would die within two to three years.

Eisenman told the girl that he was glad he could talk to her because he couldn't tell his wife about his heart because it would upset her. He also asked the teen to take care of his wife when he died.

UNIQUE SEXUAL ASSAULT STATUTES

Eisenman will be sentenced on Aug. 19 at 1 p.m. and faces a mandatory prison sentence. This will be an indeterminant prison sentence unique to our sexual assault statutes.

The judge will decide what the low end of sentence will be, in the range of from eight to 24 years. The prison sentence then will be up to life. If Eisenman were to be paroled, he would be on lifetime parole supervision.

Compare the above with the Rocky Mountain News coverage: Band teacher guilty in sex case (June 24, 2008) Or the Associated Press take.

Eisenman will be sentenced August 19.

SENTENCED August 19 - Eisenman was sentenced to 15 years to life.

[Jefferson County District Judge Tamara] Russell the incidents are "truly a parent's worst nightmare. We send our children to school to be safe, to respect their teachers," but Eisenman "took the love and respect of his students and used it for his own purposes and made it something ugly."

Russell also praised the two victims for coming forward, calling them heroes.

TT - For an explanation of the length of the sentence, see June 24 and the article by Pam Russell, the public information officer for District Attorney Scott Storey.

Durango, COLORADO

The least-watched elected officials in the country are school board members. They also comprise the largest single group of elected officials in this country.

August 14, 2008 - There are calls for the recall or resignation of Durango School District 9-R board member Padraig "Paddy" Lynch after his arrest for breaking into the Humane Society after-hours to retrieve his dog. The dog had been seized by Animal Control officers after a caller complained that it was locked in Lynch's truck at the fairgrounds.

(Other stories say it was the High School parking lot and the dog had been locked in the truck for hours without water. It seems to be the case the that he was at the Fairgrounds working on cars for the demolition derby and left his dog in his truck in the school parking lot for hours without water.)

The former teacher's tenure on the board has been controversial. Lynch's fellow board members have accused him of impeding their work.

He drew a reprimand from then-Superintendent Mary Barter in March for a visit to Durango High School that she called "disruptive," and again drew criticism in May when he called a union official to discuss sensitive contract negotiations.

Lynch was a welding teacher at Durango High from 2003 to 2005, when the district declined to renew his contract. Evidence surfaced this year that Lynch had repeated interactions with a female student who was not in his class that made her uncomfortable.

TT - Who votes for these people? Nationwide, less than 20% of the electorate usually vote in any school board election.** Who runs for the offices? A surprising number of candidates are teachers backed by their unions. It's a obvious and blatant conflict of interest when the primary responsibility of the the board member is to vote on budgets, union contracts and union-concern issues, but it is perfectly legal.

We found his surprisingly laughable bio for Paddy online. And this 2006 article paints a picture of, not of a non-conformist, but a career loser. (TT Opinion)

** In Durango, turnout for elections in 2003 was higher than the 2001 turnout of of 18.7%, leading them to begin to conduct mail-in elections.

Ault, COLORADO

An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgement that should the case go to trial, he would likely be found guilty. Under law, the plea is treated like a guilty plea.

Sept 20, 2007 - John Cochran, 41, a Highland High School social studies teacher, was arrested on suspicion that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old during the 2006 school year.

Cochran faces possible charges of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. The La Salle resident was accused of that same charge in 1996, according to the Weld County Sheriff's Department, but that case was dismissed before it went to trial.

Cochran had been teaching a senior-level course as an adjunct professor in the University of Northern Colorado's school of education. He taught social at the high school in Ault in the 2005-06 school year, after serving a year as a substitute. His contract was not renewed after the 2005-06 school year.
Full Name: John Rogers Cochran

BOND Sept 22 - Cochran is barred from any contact with children as a condition of bond, which was set at $25,000. His attorney argued for the lower bail because Cochran has another job working at a casino and didn't want to lose that job. Next court appearance is Nov 15.

NOT GUILTY PLEA Jan 18, 2008 - Cochran pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. A four-day trial is set to begin June 9.

PLEA August 12 - Cochran entered an Alford plea to unlawful sexual contact. Charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust were dropped. According to the plea deal, Cochran must register as a sex offender and have no contact with anyone younger than 18, including his own children.

Cochran taught at Highland High School in Ault during the 2005-06 school year and had been teaching as an adjunct instructor at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Highland did not renew his contract because of complaints of inappropriate conduct with female students and inappropriate comments he made about female faculty and students, according to the arrest warrant.

He could face up to five years of intensive supervised probation when he is sentenced on Sept 25.
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TT - What is consistent and very disturbing about stories coming from Colorado is that the victim is very rarely mentioned or, worse, considered by either the news media, the prosecution, or the courts. Somehow, they don't think it particularly creepy that a 41-year-old man should have sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl. There seems to be no interest or surprise or concern at the plea agreement that contains no contact restrictions that are unusual, to say the least. They act as though every convicted sex offender is forbidden to have no contact even with his own children. Why??

Nor is there any great concern that there were prior allegations and that he taught at the school of education preparing other teachers for the field. Talk about whacked out. It's Colorado. Welcome to the low-oxygen zone.

Denver, COLORADO

August 12, 2008 - Brittany Wild, 28, a third-grade elementary school teacher at Columbine Elementary School, pleaded guilty to marijuana cultivation and was sentenced to a two-year deferred sentence. Prosecutors dropped two felony possession charges, one charge of possession with intent to distribute, and one misdemeanor child abuse charge.

If she completes her two-year deferred sentence, her felony conviction will be dismissed.

Wild and her husband were arrested last month in their home on suspicion of growing and possession of marijuana. Police found the couple’s child in the room with the drugs, and arrested both parents on suspicion of child abuse.

Social services placed the child in foster care.

When the district laid off about 85 teachers this spring, Wild was among them. She is listed as Brittany Webb, which was her maiden name.

Her husband will be arraigned August 29. Michael Wild, 33, has been charged with several drug-related violations in Colorado dating back to 1995, according to court records.

Lakewood, COLORADO

Nov 15, 2007 - Frank Lee Pierce, 30, a teacher's aide at at Stober Elementary School, was arrested on suspicion of Internet Luring of a Child, Internet Sexual Exploitation of a Child, and Promotion of Obscenity to a Minor.

Pierce thought he was talking to a 15-year-old girl on the internet. It was a investigator with the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office .

The investigation which resulted in Pierce's arrest began last Friday when the investigator, posing as a female under the age of 15 was allegedly contacted by Pierce under screen name "mysterio2716."

He has been suspended.

GUILTY PLEA May 20, 2008 - Pierce pleaded guilty to one count of Internet Luring of a Child, a class four felony. He will be sentenced on August 8. [Source below.]

Jefferson County District Attorney's Office Press Release (dated May 20, 2008)

SENTENCED August 8 - Pierce was sentenced to three years of intensive supervised probation for sex offenders. He will be required to register as a sex offender.

Golden, COLORADO

Forty-three year-old father of three pleads guilty to sexual assault of 17-year-old student. Sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years to life of intensive supervision sex offender probation.

Oct 23, 2007 -
William Paxton, 42, a music instructor and color-guard coach at five Jefferson County schools has been arrested, on suspicion of sexual assault and sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

The student is 16-years-old.

Sheriff's investigators recently became aware of sexual-assault allegations and believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with more information is urged to contact the tip line at 303-271-5612.

Paxton was employed during the 1995-96 school year as the assistant band director at Arvada High School and in 2006-07 as the instrumental music instructor at Alameda High School.

Through the Rocky Mountain Colorado Guard Association, Paxton also advised, volunteered or consulted at D'Evelyn, Jefferson and Lakewood high schools on an intermittent basis.

Paxton has been termed ineligible for rehire with the district until further notice, said schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer.

Full Name: William Samuel Paxton

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Press Release (Dated Oct 23, 2007) ( Uses "female students" - plural and states that Paxton served intermittently as both a volunteer and a contract employee.)

Nov 9 - Investigators believe Paxton may have engaged in similar allegations of sexual misconduct with students in the Castle Rock area.

Anyone with more information is urged to contact the Castle Rock Police Department tip line at 720-733-2241.

GUILTY PLEA May 30, 2008 - Paxton pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female student. Paxton was the student's coach in marching band. the student several text messages every day and gave her a cell phone so they could talk. Prosecutors say Paxton then invited the student to his apartment twice where he sexually assaulted her. Paxton is the father of three. He also must serve 10 years to life of intensive supervision as a sex offender.

He will be sentenced in July.

Jefferson County District Attorney's Office has no press release at this time.

SENTENCED July 31 - Paxton was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 10 years to life of intensive supervision sex offender probation.

ABC ch 7: While Paxton was not found to be a sexually violent predator by Colorado’s official designation, District Judge Stephen Munsinger told Paxton before sentencing him Thursday that he did find him to be a sexual predator.

Grand Junction, COLORADO

July 2, 2008 - Nefi Madrigal, 21, a tutor at Orchard Mesa Middle School, pleaded guilty to sending an obscene image to a 14-year-old girl. Prosecutors dropped the charge of felony Internet sexual exploitation of a child.

Authorities said Madrigal sent nude photographs of himself to the girl via her cell phone.
They were alerted when another student told police the 14-year-old girl showed her several pictures of Madrigal, one of which showed his genitalia.

The girl said she knew the pictures came from Madrigal’s phone because the phone displayed his number, the affidavit said

When he was arrested in May, he told police he had sent and received pictures to the girl, but non were inappropriate. He said he may have mistakenly sent the photos to the girl, but they were intended for his girlfriend in Utah. He said his girlfriend’s name is listed next to the girl’s in his phone book, but police said the girl’s name is listed four names away, the affidavit said.

Sentencing is scheduled for August.

Delta, COLORADO

March 31, 2008 - Brian Havel, 22, a Delta High School teacher, was charged with child abuse for an incident in the classroom where he allegedly gave his students permission to beat a classmate who was late for class.

"In his class, the disciplinary process was X amount of sit-ups or push-ups in a certain amount of time. He either wouldn't or couldn't complete them," Delta interim Police Chief Roger Christian said of the punished student.
The boy's classmates volunteered to administer an alternate punishment.

"The class made a suggestion that if he couldn't finish, we ought to be able to punch him, and (Havel) agreed. So 10 to 15 students got to hit him," Christian said.

Havel is due in court April 30.

Police: Teacher told students to hit tardy classmate (dated March 26, 2008)

GUILTY PLEA & SENTENCING June 24, 2008 - Havel pleaded guilty to harassment and has been sentenced to 364 days unsupervised probation. He will lose his license for two years.

Havel has moved back to his home state of Minnesota.

BEST NEWS OF THE DAY

June 5, 2008 - From the Associated Press:

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has quietly signed a bill that requires teachers convicted of child abuse or illegal sexual behavior to agree never to teach again anywhere in this country.

The law requires the Department of Education to release the names of teachers and school employees convicted of such violations if it takes any action against their licenses.

It also requires school districts to notify the state if a teacher is dismissed or resigns because of allegations of illegal behavior with a child, including sex assault.

The law stipulates that if a teacher signs a settlement agreement with the Department of Education, the teacher must agree to never teach at a public or private school in this country.

The AP series documented a number of abuses.

According to records obtained by The Associated Press under the Colorado Open Records Act, the board over the past decade has signed settlement agreements with teachers convicted of serious crimes that allowed them to return to the classroom, even though the crimes included sexual assault on children.

The records show the board agreed to keep crucial details secret in some instances, including the case of a Northglenn teacher convicted of sexual assault on a child and allowing a minor to consume alcohol. The teacher received a two-year suspension, but the settlement agreement lists only the state statutes he violated, without saying what happened or where.

The board has said it was only following a law passed by the Legislature in 2003 requiring that teachers convicted of felony violent crimes be disciplined.

Westminister, COLORADO

May 28, 2008 - Jeremy Dennis, 25, drama teacher at Mountain Range High School was arrested May 23 after accusations surfaced that he sexually assaulted a student.

He was arrested on two counts of felony sex assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. He is also charged with sex assault in a pattern of abuse. He resigned before his arrest, saying he was taking another teaching position.

He is scheduled to appear in court on June 9.

[It doesn't say if the student was male or female.]
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WE FOUND: The school is rated "average" by the Colorado Department of Education. It is rated 5 (with 10 being highest) by GreatSchools.net

Look at the math scores for 10th graders: 17% at or above are proficient. Mind you, proficient means at or above grade level. No teacher or student profile information was available, however, a state report card for the school shows a stable student population with 18.4% eligible for a free lunch, which means there is no chronic and widespread poverty.

Of the 180 days in the school year, teachers' average days absent = 5.8%, which works out to be 10.4 days a year, with another 10 days where no teaching was scheduled to occur.

Oddly, the teacher/student ratio for 10th graders where math scores are the lowest (some 42% scoring unsatisfactory) is 15.3 The district has over $400,000,000 in bonded debt. It's amazing what people will pay for mediocrity, and with math scores that low, it's a sure bet no one question the expenditures in the future either.

Loveland, COLORADO

"I’m here more just to give a message. These things are not OK and they have to stop." - The girl who was 16 at the time Gaylor sexually assaulted her.

He has a 14-year-old daughter.

Dec 14, 2007 - Michael Gaylor, 41, a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Walt Clark Middle School, was arrested and charged with sexual assault, a class 4 felony.

Sgt. Benjamin Hurr of the Loveland Police Department said the girl contacted police Tuesday. The girl is 16-years-old. No other details available.

Anyone with information pertinent to this investigation or information regarding Gaylor is being asked to contact Detective Gerardo Cortina at (970) 962-2253

PERMISSION TO SEE HIS OWN CHILD Dec 20 - Gaylor has asked a judge for permission to see his own child for the Christmas holidays. The conditions of his bond restrict from contact with anyone younger than 18, including his own child. The judge will decide on Friday.

Dec 21 - Larimer County District Court Judge James Hiatt allowed Gaylor contact with his 14-year-old daughter in the presence of another adult. Hiatt said he’d be quicker to side with Gaylor on this matter if there wasn’t a question of the daughter’s involvement in the case. But that involvement also has not been proven. The judge also approved travel outside the state. Hiatt's wife and father were in the courtroom Friday.

Gaylor will not be allowed to return to his home because it is too close to the victim's home. There is a question as to whether Gaylor's daughter witnessed the alleged incident. She was in the room, a deputy district attorney said, but investigators do not know what she saw.

The judge will unseal the case Feb 1. “The court's business ought to be done in the light of day,” Judge Hiatt said, noting that this is especially so in cases that draw public interest and concern.
“When no one cares we make it public, but when there is interest, we seal it.”

Jan 17, 2008 - Prosecutors filed two additional counts of unlawful sexual contact against Gaynor. They would not say which school the other victims attended.

GUILTY PLEA March 13, 2008 - Gaylor pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, a class 4 felony, and sexual assault with a 10-year age difference, a class 1 misdemeanor. Once sentenced, he will serve between six and 12 months in jail and must serve 10 years in a sex offender intensive supervision program.

Also see The Coloradoan story.

SENTENCED May 28 - Gaylor was sentenced to one year in jail - not prison - and 10 years supervised probation for sexually assaulting an underage girl.

“I am sorry,” Gaylor, a former Walt Clark Middle School social studies teacher, said, his eyes welling with tears. “I fully accept responsibility for my action. I sexually abused a young girl. I took advantage of my position without any regard for her. I realize I have taken the innocence of my victim.

“I do have multiple secondary victims. My victim’s family has been changed, wondering why and how their neighbor and friend targeted their daughter and sister. My former students are victims. They will forever question their relationships with their teachers.”

The girl did not want sympathy. "And I want to send a message to those girls who have had this kind of thing happen to them before that they’re not hopeless and they’re not victims. They do have the strength to stand up for themselves.”

Denver, COLORADO

May 9, 2008 - A judge ruled Friday that there was was no evidence that the principal of Skinner Middle School in northwest Denver acted willfully or wantonly to thwart the mandatory reporting law.

Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Denver District Attorney's office, said prosecutors would review the ruling and decide within 30 days whether to appeal.

"We were surprised and concerned with the court's ruling," Kimbrough said.

She also said the [Denver Public Schools] DPS policy fails to include mandatory reporting for misdemeanor allegations of sexual assault and that DPS policy does not comply with state law.

"The court's finding of immunity in this case would suggest that DPS policy, even if it's not in compliance with state law, trumps state law," Kimbrough said. "We're going to continue to work as closely as we can with DPS to ensure that the policy follows state law and that it includes unlawful sexual contact so that this doesn't happen in the future."

Police want school officials to err on the side of reporting questionable cases and allow officers to decide whether to file criminal charges.

Vetz ruling PDF
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TT - That police want school officials to err on the side of reporting questionable cases and allow officers to decide whether to file criminal charges is reasonable. At no time did the school district or the principal contact police. The police were notified by the victim's parents. (From ruling.)

The Denver Public School (DPS) Title IX Compliance Officer testified that after reviewing the statements taken by and sent to him by the school principal, he would have reported the matter to the police. He also stated that DPS rules are "ambiguous as to the difference between sexual assault and sexual harassment." (See ruling.)

Police charged the principal for failure to report as required by Colo Rev Stat §§ 19-3-301 - a mandatory reporting law. The judge made her ruling under Colorado's Safe Schools Laws §§ 22.32.109 (1) (a) C.S.R. (2007) in order to grant immunity to mandated reporting law requirements and consequences.

In other words, the judge interpreted the immunity provision of the Safe Schools Act to confer immunity upon a mandated reporter who didn't report. If allowed to stand, it means no mandatory reporter in Denver Public Schools has to report abuse of a student if they just demonstrate to a friendly judge they acted in "good faith" and followed school procedure and rules. Even inadequate and poorly written rules.

Effectively, the ruling will invalidate a law approved by the legislature for the protection of vulnerable and at-risk populations. The clear legislative intent of mandatory reporting laws adopted in every state was to insist on reporting in order to ensure that a high-risk and vulnerable population - children, the elderly, the defenseless - were protected by those most likely to be a witness to, or in a position to know of, evidence of abuse. (Great Mandatory Reporting site.)

Such laws didn't ask doctors or teachers to define abuse or have specific knowledge of abuse laws but required them to report suspected abuse so that police could then investigate to determine whether laws were violated.

It's only the arrogance of educrats that makes them think they can interpret the law any way they like, It is the reason why schools who conduct their own investigations never, ever seem to find sufficient evidence when investigating teacher misconduct. That could be due to the lack of knowledge of the law and rules of evidence. Equally, it could be because they deliberately choose to ignore the law because no one holds them accountable.

Most get away with ignoring the law. Few educators have been prosecuted for failing to report teacher misconduct even when police manage to find clear and compelling evidence long after a school or district investigation has cleared a teacher (but allowed the teacher to resign.)

REPORTING LAWS should serve to protect students from educators and other students.
Two boys in Columbus, Ohio, forced a developmentally disabled girl to perform oral sex on them in the school auditorium. School principal Regina Crenshaw not only didn't report the sexual abuse to the police, she discouraged the father from calling police. She was prosecuted for not reporting. A jury found her not guilty. The school district fired her, but it took them hundreds of thousands of dollars and three years to do so.

The media reported the sexual abuse outrage with blanket coverage. Few bothered to inform the public of Crenshaw's responsibilities and her actions and inactions. Fewer still followed the trial or attempted to educate the public on reporting requirements. An O.J. jury disbelieved the facts. Entry

There's a great deal of difference between sexual abuse and sexual harassment and any educator who can't differentiate between the two should not be around children. The story in Colorado and the case ruling are annoying vague about what actually happened to the student at the hands of the two boys, but if the police think sexual abuse occurred, failure to report by claiming ignorance of the difference should not be acceptable.

If it is acceptable, what would prevent educators from absolving anyone of crimes merely by defining the law to suit their convenience? What would prevent them from doing so in order to uphold a school image or keep a career untarnished?

What would prevent an educator or an administrator from protecting a friend and colleague from scrutiny or shielding a favored child over a less-favored one? Where is the equal protection of the law?

The Colorado Department of Education site clearly states,: "NOTE: You, as the individual who suspects the abuse, are legally responsible for making certain that the report is made to the designated agencies immediately. This legal responsibility is not satisfied by merely reporting your suspicion to other school personnel. "

When school district procedures and rules that don't clearly define "sexual assault" and leave interpretation of law up to school officials who have no law enforcement training or standing, and it results in depriving children of the full benefit and protection of the law, what recourse do parents have?

For one, parents can remember Denver County Court Judge Doris E. Burd's name and remember who recommended she be retained in November 2007.

(Pictured 2nd Judicial District Denver County judge Doris Burd.)

Lakewood, COLORADO

May 2, 2008 -
Jon McCarthy, 31, a substitute teacher and coaching assistant at Lakewood High School, was arrested today at the school on suspicion of inappropriate sexual contact with a juvenile female student. (Age not given.)

Police believe that McCarthy may have had an inappropriate relationship with another former female student who attended the school last year. They began their investigation after rumors began in the school.
Full Name: Jon William McCarthy
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There are no press releases at the Lakewood Police Department site.
Photo Lakewood Police Department.

Littleton, COLORADO

April 17, 2008 - Nicole Marie Sirbu, 29, a teacher at Stony Creek Elementary School and a coach for the combined Columbine and Chatfield high school pole-vaulting team, was indicted by a grand jury on a felony charge of tampering/destruction of physical evidence.

In September 2007, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office began investigating an allegation that Sirbu had "inappropriate sexual contact" with a 17-year-old Columbine student who was on the pole-vaulting team. Sirbu had exchanged numerous e-mails with the student using her work e-mail address and her work laptop, investigators said.

The indictment states Sirbu became aware of the investigation and resigned from her teaching job on Oct. 1, 2007. When Sirbu turned in her school district-issued laptop a few days later, investigators said they discovered the hard drive originally in the computer was gone and that it had been replaced with a new hard drive. She used her credit card to buy a new hard drive.
Full Name: Nichole Marie Sirbu

TT - It's painful when the Denver Post calls it an "affair."
Ex-Jeffco teacher accused of tampering to hide alleged affair posted at 04/17/2008 02:57:50 PM MDT

Brighton, COLORADO

April 3, 2008 - Andrew Weaver, 28, a Brighton High School teacher, was arrested on suspicion of a felony count of Internet sexual exploitation of a child, for allegedly sending pictures of his genitalia and engaging in sexually explicit conversation with a law enforcement official posing online as a 14-year-old girl. It turned out to be an undercover officer.

Investigators on May 2, 2007, filed a court order to link Weaver to the Yahoo chat name eightball_79. Weaver’s facial features on his driver’s license were matched to video sent over the Internet. During the chat, eightball_79 identified himself as Andy from Denver, the affidavit said.

Weaver is married and has a six-month-old child. He has been teaching for the past five years. Weaver had been fired from his position. He will be formally charged April 16.
Full Name: Andrew Charles Weaver

April 7 - The Brighton Standard Blade wonders why it took nine months to bring charges. The incident, they say, according to the affidavit, occurred on March 8, 2007, yet no warrant was issued until December 19, 2007, nearly nine months later.

However, Mesa County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Heather Benjamin noted that the office had no knowledge of Weaver’s employment status prior to his court appearance April 3, at which time they contacted Brighton High School officials.

April 9 - Denver Post: Coach continued teaching after he was caught in a sex sting

TT - Aren't teachers required by law to report any arrest to school officials? If not, why not?