Retired Colorado Springs firefighter charged with sexual assault
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- James Thorpe, a 76-year-old retired Colorado Springs firefighter, is facing felony charges for sexual assault.
The mother of two of his alleged victims is speaking out, choosing to keep her identity private.
She tells KRDO Newschannel 13 that she's absolutely heartbroken, describing Thorpe as someone her family trusted.
"[My daughter] began to tell me a story of what he was doing to her and what he was having her do to him," she said.
Thorpe, who also goes by Jim, was in the Colorado Springs Fire Department for 24 years until he retired in 1996.
He was originally arrested in August for sexual assault. A protection order was put in place, but Sunday he was arrested again.
"It's heartbreaking. It upsets me because I should have been there. This isn't the first time he's done this," the mother said.
According to court documents, Thorpe had sexual contact with two young girls, touching them inappropriately. The mother of the victims recalls a moment she describes as a red flag.
"[My daughter] came out of the master bedroom -- he said something about having to jump in the shower, so I asked her, 'what were you doing in there,' and she said, '[he] lets me play in there while he is naked,'" the mother said.
She says she confronted Thorpe about the accusations her daughters were making. He denied it, so she called police.
According to the arrest affidavit, when investigators asked Thorpe if the contact occurred, Thorpe asked what would happen if he said 'yes' to the question, and asked if he would get arrested.
When questioned again, Thorpe said he wanted legal counsel before answering the allegations directly.
Now that Thorpe is out on bond, the victim's mother is worried his service to the city will overshadow his heinous acts.
"When they asked, 'what does he do,' I said he was a retired firefighter. And they said, 'oh my god another firefighter,'" she recalled.
Two other former firefighters were arrested earlier this year. Robert Stambaugh pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, while Bo Hutchinson was arrested after being “caught masturbating” inside a Colorado Springs store.
Thorpe is set to have his first court appearance in December.
