Gym Teacher Accused Of Sex Assault On A Child
CONIFER, Colo. (CBS4) - A physical education teacher and football coach has been accused of sexual assault on a child in Jefferson County.
"Jefferson County sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a runaway 17-year-old female. The juvenile was located shortly after midnight by deputies at a family-owned cabin in Pine," Mark Techmeyer with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Techmeyer said Michael Steven Bueno, 47, was arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
"An additional charge of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, a Class 3 felony, was added by JeffCo investigators today," Techmeyer said.
Bond has not yet been set.
Diana Wilson, a spokesperson for Jefferson County School District, says Bueno has been employed there since 2011. Most recently he worked as a gym teacher at West Jefferson Middle School. According to a person al biography he's also coached girls track at Standley Lake High School, and football at Conifer High school.
"With these types of charges or accusations the person is put immediately on leave," Wilson said.
According to court documents the alleged victim was at one point a student where Bueno worked. She had reportedly run away from home and called Bueno. Tuesday night he's accused of picking her up and driving her to her family's cabin where the two were found drinking when deputies arrived.
Wilson says they were informed of the arrest on Wednesday morning and immediately notified students and parents.
"It's always very disappointing and disheartening to hear about situations like this and we really try our best to deal with it responsibly and fairly, but in all honesty our hearts go out to our schools and our parents, and our students. It's just overwhelming when they hear something about this, when someone is in a position of trust and these types of accusations are made," she said.
Statement From The Jefferson County School District
Dear West Jefferson Middle School and Conifer High School families,
Unfortunately we have some disturbing information to relay to you today. We have learned that Michael Bueno, a gym teacher at West Jefferson Middle and an assistant football coach at Conifer High, has been arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. He was immediately placed on administrative leave, is not in contact with our students, and will not be allowed on school property.
Our school and district staff has cooperated fully with law enforcement. Because this is a law enforcement investigation, we do not have additional information available to us at this time; however, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office will be providing more information about the incident later today. If you have questions about the case please call the Sheriff's Office at 303.277.0211.
It is with deep regret that we have to relay this news. School safety, ethical behavior, and a sense of community are strong values at our schools and it saddens us that we have this type of situation to deal with. We will keep you informed if there are any other developments that affect our students.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Becky Brown, West Jefferson Middle School Principal and Wes Paxton, Conifer High School Principal
