Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Child exploitation

Mesa County authorities arrest Caprock Academy employee for sexual exploitation of child charges
KJCT-TV ABC 8, Approved, Local

Mesa County authorities arrest Caprock Academy employee for sexual exploitation of child charges

By Kacie Sinton | KJCT News 8 GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - An employee of Caprock Academy is behind bars at the Mesa County Jail today after being arrested on the charge of sexual exploitation of a child. 45-year-old Shane Chatfield was reported to police on September 11, when the Grand Junction Police Department was informed that an adult man had allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to another adult man who had been pretending to be a child. Chatfield had also allegedly tried to arrange a meet-up, according to authorities. Chatfield appeared in custody over Zoom on September 17. The judge ordered a cash-only bond of $20,000. In addition to the bond, Chatfield is not allowed to use social media or dating apps or contact minors, and his electronic usage will be monitored. ...
Guilty plea exposes scale of child exploitation by Colorado predator
Fox31, Approved, National

Guilty plea exposes scale of child exploitation by Colorado predator

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — A 31-year-old man from Colorado pleaded guilty this month in Indiana to dozens of counts related to sextortion of at least 68 children through social media and sex trafficking of at least five of those children. Ryan Austin Lauless, 31, of Colorado, pleaded guilty on Sept. 4 to 21 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, five counts of sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of noticing and advertising child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Prosecutors say that Lauless used social media apps between late 2019 and May 19, 2023, to coerce, sexually exploit and threaten at least 68 minor victims into producing thousands of sexua...
Colorado man sentenced to 7 years for trafficking women across state lines
Fox31, Approved, State

Colorado man sentenced to 7 years for trafficking women across state lines

By Heather Willard | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — A 41-year-old man will spend seven years in federal prison after he recruited two victims to work for him as prostitutes and transported them between states. Walter Conwell, 41, was sentenced on Aug. 21 to seven years in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of interstate transportation of an individual for prostitution. Neighbors shocked after man says he was stabbed while fishing at McKay Lake “Federal prison is the appropriate place for a man who somehow convinced himself it was okay to take everything from these young women and sell them for sex,” said United States Attorney Peter McNeilly in his office’s press release. “This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to...
DiGirolamo: The predator playbook every parent needs to know about
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Commentary, National, Top Stories

DiGirolamo: The predator playbook every parent needs to know about

By John DiGirolamo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice The Internet is a 24\7 how-to manual. Unfortunately, it’s also available for predators to gather advice to target and manipulate your child. All in a matter of seconds, simply by asking. Staca Shehan, Vice President at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children recently said, “We're also seeing offenders enter questions asking for guides or tutorials on how to groom or recruit children and do it more efficiently.” The following summarizes the ways predators go after your kids: Predator Grooming Tactics: Victim Targeting: Constantly seek children and teens to interact with. It is quick and easy to find others online. Predators seek anyone who is vulnerable and willing to interact in a chat room, on social me...
Tracking the untracked: The dangerous fallout of Biden’s broken migrant child system
Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, National, Top Stories

Tracking the untracked: The dangerous fallout of Biden’s broken migrant child system

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Each year, children continue to arrive at the southern border without anyone to look after them. They’re officially called unaccompanied alien children—or UACs—but behind that label are thousands of kids trying to navigate an immigration system meant for adults.  Many are handed off to sponsors with little vetting, and some end up trafficked, working illegal jobs, or worse. The surge in vulnerable children Back in the early 2000s, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) was handling fewer than 8,000 unaccompanied kids a year. But that’s changed dramatically.  By 2022, that figure had climbed to over 128,000. The following year saw more than 113,000 children placed with sponsors across the U.S. As of Jul...
Lone Tree man distributed 200K child porn images. 4 years in prison. DA blasts ‘soft-on-crime’ statutes.
KRDO.COM, Approved, Local

Lone Tree man distributed 200K child porn images. 4 years in prison. DA blasts ‘soft-on-crime’ statutes.

By Sadie Buggle | KRDO CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KRDO) – A Lone Tree man will serve four years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing and distributing over 200,000 images of child pornography, the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s (DA) Office said. Following his release from prison, 28-year-old Daryl Henry Joe, Jr. will be required to serve ten years of probation. In March of 2024, Lone Tree police received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, regarding images of child pornography the agency had traced to a computer at Joe’s address in Lone Tree. According to the DA's office, Joe later admitted to not only possessing but distributing more than 200,000 sexually explicit images of children, including of infants and toddlers. Under Color...
Polis defends ICE data release as criminal investigation matter, but documents raise doubts
Approved, Axios, State

Polis defends ICE data release as criminal investigation matter, but documents raise doubts

By Alayna Alvarez, John Frank | Axios Legal pressure is mounting against Democratic Gov. Jared Polis after revelations that he ordered state officials to comply with an ICE subpoena and hand over personal data of undocumented children in Colorado to federal immigration agents. The latest: Colorado WINS — the union representing more than 27,000 state workers — civil rights group Towards Justice and labor organization Colorado AFL-CIO announced Monday they're joining as plaintiffs on a whistleblower lawsuit filed last week by Scott Moss, a senior labor official in Polis' administration. The groups accuse the governor of "colluding" with ICE agents and violating multiple state laws that restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement...
Colorado gets 210 year sentence for sexual abuse of boys at Haiti orphanage
Approved, kdvr.com, Local, National

Colorado gets 210 year sentence for sexual abuse of boys at Haiti orphanage

By Brooke Williams | Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado man received a sentence of 210 years in prison for sexually abusing numerous children in care at the orphanage he founded and directed in Haiti, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday. The man, identified as 73-year-old Michael Karl Geilenfeld, most recently lived in Littleton. He founded St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Haiti in 1985. The DOJ said in a press release that he repeatedly traveled from the U.S. to Haiti and “sexually abused the boys entrusted to his care” during his more than two decades operating the orphanage. The DOJ said he also abused the kids physically and emotionally through physical assault and other forms of punishment. Earlier this year, Geilenfeld was convicted by a federal jury on one count o...
Former El Paso County public defender pleads not guilty to sexual assault of a 14-year-old
Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Former El Paso County public defender pleads not guilty to sexual assault of a 14-year-old

By Mackenzie Bodell | Denver Gazette A former El Paso County public defender accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old pleaded not guilty in the 4th Judicial District on Thursday. Thomas Cushing, 26, was arrested Nov. 22, 2024, and faces one count of sexual assault against a child, according to court records. An affidavit for Cushing’s arrest indicates he met with the victim on two different occasions for sexual intercourse. The document also states the victim told Cushing that she was 18 years old, but made it clear she was a high school student still living with her legal guardians. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Colorado man facing multiple charges of sexual exploitation of a child, distributing child sexual abuse material
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado man facing multiple charges of sexual exploitation of a child, distributing child sexual abuse material

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado A man from Boulder County has been arrested and is facing multiple charges for allegedly distributing child sexual assault material. After the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was notified of the material they determined the suspect likely lived in Boulder County. One of their investigators at the Boulder County Digital Forensics lab identified Matthew Howard Cory of Lafayette as a suspect in the case. Once they obtained a warrant, Detectives and Boulder County SWAT team members searched Cory's home in the 1100 block of Chiron Street. They reportedly seized several electronic devices and determined that Cory had been distributing child sexual assault material. Authorities arrested Cory on March 14 and booked him into the Bou...

FD863768-0ACF-495E-9D21-2EF784DFFA6B[1]

Join us at RMV's Freedom Festival

Click Here for Tickets!

This will close in 0 seconds