Former School Counselor Resigns After Arrest For Sexual Assault
DENVER, Colo. (CBS4) - A former school counselor arrested for sexual assault has resigned from his current position as a teacher's aide.
Troy Vandenbroeke, 49, resigned from the Cherry Creek School District Friday morning.
The alleged assault happened while he worked at Denver Christian School up until 2014, when the school relocated from Denver to a new campus in Lakewood.
In addition to his roles as a teacher's aide and a guidance counselor, Vandenbroeke was also a football coach at Denver Christian School from 2009 to 2011.
A former student at Denver Christian High School claims to be the victim of an inappropriate relationship with Vandenbroeke, who she sought counseling with for help with anxiety attacks.
Police said that the 18-year-old victim's counseling sessions that began in 2010 with Vandenbroeke, then 43, quickly became sexual.
According to an arrest affidavit, shoulder massages, blowing into and licking her ear, and comments about her breasts turned into frequent sexual encounters in Vandenbroeke's office during study hall.
Lynn Kimbrough, a spokesperson for the Denver District Attorney's Office said that the sexual relationship between counselor and student continued for four years, even after she graduated from high school and went to college.
"There isn't any way under the way the law reads, that this could be considered consensual, because of his positions and because of the relationship that he was supposed to have with her as a client," said Kimbrough.
The student didn't report what had happened until March of 2015.
A search on the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies website shows that Vandenbroeke surrendered his counseling license six months later, and then got a job as a teacher's aide at Cherry Creek schools in February.
Tustin Amole, a spokesperson with Cherry Creek Schools said that district officials were not aware that Vandenbroeke was under investigation for sexual assault when they hired him.
Amole said that during his employment, Vandenbroeke worked at several Cherry Creek schools, although she would not specify which schools. She said that Vandenbroeke was always supervised in his role as a teacher's aide, and that he also occasionally assisted with students with autism under supervision.
According to Amole, district officials did not know of any allegation against Vandenbroeke involving any Cherry Creek student.
After his arrest, Cherry Creek school district put Vandenbroeke on administrative leave prior to his resignation.
Denver Christian Schools' C.E.O. said that the school was working with law enforcement and was unable to comment due to the ongoing legal process.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
