Carbondale police said to have found more sex-assault victims

CARBONDALE, Colorado ‹ Police now have identified more possible victims in a

local case of alleged sexual abuse of children, according to a town

official.

But the Carbondale Police Department declined to confirm or deny whether

that is true, when contacted by a reporter on Monday.

Gustavo Flores-Rosario, 53, of Carbondale, was arrested and jailed on April

22 on charges that he sexually molested an 18-year-old girl, and suspicion

that he may have molested other victims.

A memo sent by Town Administrator Jay Harrington to the town trustees last

week informed the trustees that ³the police department has identified six

people who may be victims regarding the sex assault case,² and that the

police would be interviewing the potential victims at some future time.

³I can¹t talk about the case, because it is still under investigation,² said

Police Chief Gene Schilling on Monday morning.

He said any further information about the case would most likely coincide

with the filing of any further charges against Flores-Rosario.

According to court documents Flores-Rosario was a neighbor of his alleged

victim, and good friends with her parents, in a Carbondale area trailer

park.

In October 2012, according to court records, the victim reportedly confided

to a caseworker at the Garfield County Department of Human Services that she

had been sexually assaulted by Flores-Rosario when she was perhaps 12 years

old. The victim was at that point a resident of Glenwood Springs.

Although the case was turned over to the Glenwood Springs Police Department,

according to the documents, no action was taken until the victim complained

to the caseworker, Tracy Kahl, that the police had not contacted her as of

March 13.

The Carbondale police took over at that point, according to the court

records, and began interviewing people, including the 18-year-old alleged

victim and the alleged perpetrator himself.

What police learned, according to the documents, is that Flores-Rosario ³was

a friendly man in the trailer court, who would often give candy to the

neighborhood kids.²

The victim reported that Flores-Rosario and his wife allegedly would invite

neighborhood girls for an overnight stay, and that while they were all in

bed he would fondle or otherwise assault the girls.

There was no indication in the report that his wife was aware of the alleged

molestation.

The police interviewed another alleged victim, a 13-year-old girl, who also

reported that Flores-Rosario molested her.

The documents also reported that Flores-Rosario was deported about 15 years

ago after being convicted of domestic violence for the beating of his wife.

He currently is awaiting deportation again over the new charges, and remains

in the Garfield County Jail in lieu of a $25,000 bond.

jcolson@postindependent.com