EL PASO COUNTY, CO — The arrest affidavit for former El Paso County bus driver, 58-year-old Robert Henry Gordon, details multiple alleged sexual encounters with minors
Those interactions came to the attention of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office after the phone of a 14-year-old boy was confiscated by their parents. The parents allegedly found multiple explicit sexual conversations between the victim and Robert Gordon. The victim told his parents and investigators that the phone was given to him by Gordon.
The parents told detectives they had known Gordon for years and that the victim trusted him as a music teacher. According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Gordon was a music teacher for the First United Pentecostal Church in Security-Widefield.
News5 reached out to the church for comment about whether he was an employee or a volunteer. The church has not responded at this time.
During the interview with investigators, the victim explained that he visited Robert often, visiting his house almost every weekend for several years. The alleged abuse began when the victim was 11 years old. Since then, based on the information recovered from the phone and the interview with the victim, the boy had been meeting Robert almost every weekend for several years having many different sexual interactions.
According to detectives, the victim said they would get gifts, and money when staying with Robert and that he would use a sermon about respecting your elders to justify their sexual interactions.
Gordon was arrested by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, April 13th.
This is not Gordon's first run-in with law enforcement officials surrounding alleged allegations of sexual assault on a minor. Court documents obtained by News5 show that Gordon has had three previous cases dating back to 1996.
- 1996 - Gordon faced charges of sexual assault on a child with force and sexual assault on a child- position of trust. Gordon pleaded not guilty. He was acquitted by a jury.
- 1998 - Gordon pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of harboring a runaway and had a deferred sentence that ended in 1999.
- 2012 - arrested for sexual assault on a child - pattern of abuse, sexual assault on a child-position of trust victim under 15, sexual assault on a child- pattern of abuse. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. The case was listed as closed in 2015 and there was no sentencing brought against Gordon in the case.
It appears Gordon's petitions to have all three records sealed related to the cases were granted in 2014 and 2015.
With this previous record, we wanted to know how and why Gordon was hired by multiple El Paso County School Districts and what their process is regarding background checks and the depth of those checks.
News5's Maggie Bryan is working on reaching out to the districts where Gordon was employed to learn more about their process regarding vetting potential candidates. You can watch her full report on News5 at 10 p.m. on Thursday.
For anyone experiencing sexual assault or is a victim of sexual assault, help is out there. Below is a list of local organizations in southern Colorado that can help you in your current situation.
TESSA Colorado Springs:
435 Gold Pass Heights
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
SAFE LINE FOR ADVOCACY & CRISIS ONLY | 719-633-3819
FOR ALL OTHER INQUIRIES CALL | 719-633-1462
Colorado Springs Victim Advocacy Unit
Contact at 719-444-7777 or by email at Victim.AdvocacyUnit@coloradosprings.gov
Safe Passage Children’s Advocacy Center:
2335 Robinson Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(PH) 719-636-2460
Pueblo Rape Crisis Services
503 N. Main St., Ste 526,
Pueblo, CO 81003
24/7 CONFIDENTIAL CRISIS HOTLINE |(719) 549-0549
This remains an active investigation with possible additional victims. If you have any information about this case or are a victim related to this case, please call the El Paso Sheriff’s Office Tipline at 719-520-7777 and a Detective will reach out to you.
Editors Note: News5 has omitted the El Paso County Sheriff's Office arrest affidavit due to the explicit language, and detail of sexual interactions between the victim and the suspect. This was done to protect the victim and their family and to not perpetuate any trauma victims of sexual assault experience.
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