COLORADO SPRINGS – The former Colorado Springs firefighter accused of sexual exploitation of a child entered a guilty plea Tuesday.
Robert Stambaugh, 59, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a child Tuesday morning.
As we’ve reported, Stambaugh was arrested on Oct. 10, 2018 at his home off of Waterside Drive in El Paso County, just northeast of Fountain.
Police said they were tipped off about possible sexual exploitation of children from Homeland Security. This happened after a police officer in Boone, N.C. joined multiple Kik groups and found a group that Stambaugh participated in a group message that depicted graphic sexual content involving children as young as 2 years old.
None of the members of the group were identified, and it’s impossible to know which messages were sent by Stambaugh.
He was arrested after the officer in North Carolina contacted Kik and obtained emails and IP addresses, which were shared with Homeland Security and Colorado Springs police
When police searched Stambaugh’s home, they found a tablet in his garage that police say contained two videos of underage girls “engaged in sexual intercourse with unknown adult males.”
The Colorado Springs Fire Department told News5 that Stambaugh retired from the department 14 days after his arrest.
His sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2019.
