Canon City sex offender pleads guilty to new charges

A convicted sex offender pleaded guilty to six new sex assault charges in district court Wednesday and could face up to 35 years in prison.

According to our news partners at the Pueblo Chieftain, John J. Tensley, 56, pleaded guilty to six felony counts of criminal attempt to commit sexual assault. A plea agreement calls for a sentence of between 33 and 35 years in prison.

The charges relate to victims who are at-risk women ages 19 and 22 who were clients of Starpoint, which serves developmentally disabled people.

District Judge David Thorson told Tensley that the plea agreement allows him to avoid an indeterminate sentence of up to life in prison. Tensley’s sentence could be considerably lengthened because of three prior sex assault cases, Thorson said.