Former middle school teacher convicted of sexually assaulting students, Boy Scouts
DENVER (KDVR) — A former Larimer County middle school teacher was sentenced Thursday to over a dozen years in prison after he pleaded guilty in April to three counts of sexual exploitation of a child.
According to the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Robert P. Denise Jr., 60, pleaded guilty on April 4 to three counts of sexual exploitation of a child. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 16 years in the Department of Corrections, followed by 10 years of Sex Offender Intensive Supervision Probation.
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During sentencing, three of Denise’s victims and the mother of one victim spoke about the impact Denise’s actions had on them or their loved ones, according to the 8th DA’s Office.
“The grooming in this case is the most extensive I’ve ever seen,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Luke Birky, in a release. “The defendant went out of his way to ensure he had constant access to teenage boys and targeted ‘troubled boys’ as a way to further his manipulation.”
The case was spurred by a victim who came forward in 2023 to report to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office that one of his teachers at Cache La Poudre Junior High School had sexually assaulted him while he was a student. Following this on April 16, Denise was arrested.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office also publicized his arrest, which resulted in four more victims coming forward with allegations of abuse from Denise. The victims were students and members of the Boy Scouts, which Denise led activities for.
Two of the oldest offenses were no longer prosecutable due to a statute of limitations.
“The bravery of these victims, including those whose crimes are not eligible for prosecution, cannot be overstated,” the DA’s office said in a release.
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The DA’s Office reported that the court received “numerous” letters supporting Denise, highlighting his impact as a teacher. Birky said the impacts cannot counterbalance decades of abuse.
“There is no number of good deeds that can balance out the rape of a child,” Birky said in a release.
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