Yesterday, Harold Stoltzfus was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence of 10 years to life in the Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to one count of Sexual Assault on a Child (In a Position of Trust with a Victim Under the Age of 15). The Special Victim Unit team secured Mr. Stoltzfus’ guilty plea on August 26th of this year. An indeterminate sentence is a sentencing option for some sexual offenses that authorizes the Department of Corrections to determine Mr. Stoltzfus' time in prison beyond the ten-year minimum. This could result in a life sentence.

In November 2023, a mother came forward to Fort Collins Police Services to report that Harold Stoltzfus had sexually assaulted her daughter. The victim had shared with her mother that this abuse had occurred numerous times over a year when the victim was 8 years old.

The prosecution team, led by Deputy District Attorney David Cheval highlighted Mr. Stoltzfus’ reprehensible and repeated abuse of a child who trusted him. In his argument, Mr. Cheval requested 24 years to life in the Department of Corrections.

Several people addressed the Court about the impact of Mr. Stoltzfus’ abuse, including the victim’s mother and father, and lead detective, Brandon Wootan.

“Since his actions have come to light, the defendant has done nothing but justify his behavior and manipulate those around him to justify it as well,” stated Detective Wootan. “If the justice system does not speak up for the victim, no one will.”   

Judge Joseph Findley spoke about that lack of accountability and Mr. Stoltzfus’ abuse of the trust that existed between him and the victim. In his sentence, Judge Findley ordered that if the defendant is released from DOC, he will have to serve 20 years of parole. The defendant is currently 69 years old.

“This was a truly unthinkable crime and I’m proud of our team fighting for this victim and commend the victim on their bravery in coming forward,” said District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin. “Given the defendant’s age and indeterminate sentence, it is our expectation that he will never be able to victimize anyone in our community again.”

There are resources and support available for survivors of child sexual abuse. To learn more and connect with those who can help:

ChildSafe

https://www.childsafecolorado.org/

The Crawford Child Advocacy Center

https://crawfordcac.org/

Sexual Assault Victim Advocate (SAVA) Center

https://savacenter.org/

Enough Abuse Campaign

https://enoughabuse.org/get-help/survivor-support/