Exteacher gets 40 years to life
When one of the first teenage victims met with school administrators in 2013 and told them about a sexual relationship with a teacher, she was allegedly pressured by those in charge to recant her claims.
But now, five years later, nobody doubts that five female students were sexually abused by Brian Vasquez, a former teacher at Aurora’s Prairie View Middle School, because he’s confessed to the crime, special prosecutor Cara Morlan said in court Friday.
“But we must start from a point of believing” victims, Morlan said.
Her comments were made during a sentencing hearing in Arapahoe County District Court, where Vasquez received an indeterminate sentence of 40 years to life in prison. The sentencing came two months after Vasquez pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, one count of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of internet exploitation of a child and one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a child.
Vasquez’s actions took place over a period of five years, according to the district attorney’s office. He was arrested in August 2017 while on the school’s campus after a different victim told authorities she was being forced to send sexual pictures to her former teacher. The victim told police Vasquez threatened to harm one of her friends if she refused to send the photos.
After being confronted by police, Vasquez confessed to having relationships with five students, including having sex with at least two of the girls.
Complaints regarding Vasquez date back to 2013, when one of the students was “brave enough” to report what was occurring. But she was pressured by two school officials to recant, Morlan said.
His family and career would be ruined by such accusations, they allegedly told her. So she recanted the sexual abuse claims and was suspended for making false allegations.
The student returned to school after the suspension to face her peers calling her names after they heard what happened, Morlan said.
In a society that wonders why victims don’t report sexual abuse, “this case should serve as a lesson,” she said.
While only referenced indirectly, the ongoing national debate about why sexual assault victims don’t immediately report abuse — spurred by the allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh — hung over the Centennial courtroom.
During the hearing, one of the victim’s attorneys sat on the verge of tears as she took notes of the proceedings.
“We’re in a historical moment on the national level,” said Emily Tofte Nestaval of Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center. “Just to know that in this community and this case, the victims were heard and supported — and that makes me proud how we support victims in this community.”
Only one of the victims was present in the courtroom for the sentencing hearing.
School officials’ handling of the case has resulted in two Prairie Middle School administrators — principal David Gonzales and assistant principal Adrienne “A.J.” McIntosh — being charged for failing to report sexual abuse. And on Monday, the Cherry Creek School District announced it has agreed to pay $11.5 million to the five victims in a settlement reached over how the school responded to the sexual assault reports.
The district, which did not admit liability in the settlement, did not acknowledge any mistakes in handling complaints against Vasquez.
Before his sentence was given by Judge Jeffrey Holmes, Vasquez stood before the court in an orange jumpsuit and gave a statement in which he described his actions. He said he exchanged nude photos and videos with multiple girls and sexually assaulted some of them in the back of his car and in a classroom.
“In the past year, I’ve thought of little else than the harm I caused them,” Vasquez told the judge. “I pray for them to have (healthy) and productive lives because that is what I originally was entrusted to do.”
In his ruling, Holmes said Vasquez’s actions have harmed the victims, the community and Vasquez’s own family.
“You are going to be punished for what you have done,” he told Vasquez.
But, Holmes noted, Vasquez came forward about the sexual abuse and took “responsibility” for his actions.
“You have charm,” he said. “You have skills as an educator.”
Those skills can be used in prison to help others, Holmes said.
“There is still potential for you to do good,” he told Vasquez. “There are people you can help.”
Upon hearing the judge’s comments, Vasquez, who was sitting between his attorneys, bent his head and snuffled.
Of the victims, Holmes said it was “remarkable” to see their “strength.”