COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A Colorado school employee is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student, authorities said.
Sarah Jones, 47, a library technology teacher at Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs, was arrested Wednesday, KDVR-TV reported. She was charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, according to KXRM-TV.
Jones has been placed on administrative leave by the school district, District 11 Superintendent Michael Gaal said in a statement.
The victim said he and Jones "had sex for the first time in Sarah's bedroom." This allegedly happened while Jones' two children were downstairs and her husband was in the hospital: https://t.co/5bCHPFUCnS
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According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, its Crimes Against Children Unit was advised on June 14 of a possible sexual assault on a child involving a 16-year-old former Mitchell High School student and an employee, KRDO-TV reported.
The victim was contacted by authorities on June 10, according to KXRM.
In a report, police stated that photos were found on the boy’s cellphone with “implied nudity from his teacher that he was having sexual relations with.”
Officers then took the boy’s cell phone to complete a “phone extraction,” the television station reported.
According to an arrest affidavit, the victim and Jones “began to talk” during the fall of 2021. The boy stated he was homeless and moved in with Jones in late December 2021, KXRM reported.
The relationship continued, and the victim told police he had sexual relations with the teacher “approximately five times,” KXRM reported. The first time allegedly happened while Jones’ two children were downstairs and her husband was in the hospital, according to the arrest affidavit.
According to the affidavit, the boy said that Jones “would send large amounts or frequent amounts of money through a cash app,” and that “if he asked Sarah for money, Sarah would give him the money.”
Jones surrendered to police after authorities obtained an arrest warrant, KDVR reported. According to the Colorado Department of Education database, Jones has worked in the state as a teacher with a professional teacher license since August 2014, KKTV reported.
“These alleged charges are egregious and violate state statutes and D11 Board of Education policies, and we will continue to work in collaboration with investigators to protect our students,” Gaal said in a statement.
Jones’ bail was set at $10,000. She will appear in court on Thursday, KKTV reported.
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