In 2023, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office conducted several sting operations to catch predators looking to assault children. A sting operation is a law enforcement tactic where an officer poses as a child online looking to engage in sex, however, there is no actual child involved at any stage. Our office supports these operations, and the work law enforcement does to protect our citizens from offenders who may be abusing or are planning to abuse children.

When a case comes to our office, every member of the team looks through the evidence and puts together a case that we can present to a jury to hold that defendant accountable and protect the community. Ultimately, the strength of that case comes from the strength of its investigation.

Unfortunately, the communication between officers and defendants in these cases led to inadequate evidence to prove essential elements of the crimes charged. We have put significant resources into these cases, taking several to jury trials to allow our community to weigh in and some juries have rejected the top charges based on insufficient evidence.

In Colorado, there is an enhancement for attempted sexual assault when a child is under the age of 15 and a significant distinction in the law if the solicitation of a prostitute is of someone under 18 years old. Solicitation of an adult prostitute is only a Petty Offense in Colorado, with a maximum penalty of ten days in jail. Therefore, many sting operations portray “children” at specific ages and that evidence is crucial. Some of the issues in these cases arose from law enforcement’s deficient portrayal of the child ages, lack of clarity with non-English speakers, and other evidentiary issues. We have since worked with the Sheriff’s Office to improve their communication and evidence collection in that area and look forward to continued collaboration on theses cases.

When our office works to find a resolution in a case we consider the facts of the case, the impact on community safety, and the ability to have success at a trial. The nature of the plea agreements in these cases is often a direct result of the strength of the investigation which led to the charges. Plea agreements requiring intensive supervision and treatment are always a better alternative to an acquittal with offenders released unsupervised into our community.

“Without rigorous investigation, these sting cases have largely resulted in bringing offenders from other areas of Colorado into our community without evidence to hold them sufficiently accountable,” says DA Gordon McLaughlin.

“I’m appreciative to our DA Special Victims Unit team for salvaging what they could from these cases and their willingness to try difficult fact patterns on important issues.”