Arrest affidavit: victim alleges Ex-Manitou Springs teacher repeatedly sexually assaulted her

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Newly released court documents obtained by KRDO outline the alleged sexual assault of a student by former Manitou Springs High School teacher Timothy Hilt.

The 35-year-old former English teacher faces one count of Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust.

The affidavit says the victim, now 22, was allegedly sexually assaulted by Hilt when she was 15.

According to the arrest affidavit by the Manitou Springs Police Department, the inappropriate relationship between Hill and the then-underage victim began in 2013 when she was 13.

The court documents say the victim told police that she met Hilt when she was a freshman in his class in 2013. Over the next year and a half, the victim told investigators she and Hilt spent "a lot of time together away from school," and that they began using Facebook Messenger to communicate.

In the affidavit, the victim recounts a January 2015 incident in the library when Hilt invited her to sit next to him. During that interaction, the victim claims Hilt made a lot of "jokes" and "spoke weirdly, calling her beautiful" before asking her to give him her phone.

The victim told MSPD she complied because he was a teacher. After giving Hilt her phone, court documents say Hilt put his hand on her knee. The victim described the exchange as "awkward and inappropriate" to investigators and said she "became confused due to her being 15 years of age at the time."

According to court documents, the victim told officers other teachers and students saw them sitting together.

In the affidavit, the victim went on to say she was first allegedly sexually assaulted by Hilt for the first time on March 12, 2015. The affidavit says Hilt allegedly told the victim to stay in his classroom and he locked the classroom door from the outside, preventing her from leaving.

According to court documents, the victim told investigators he left her there for about an hour and a half before he returned. The documents allege that when Hilt came back, he began sexually assaulting her and continued despite her cries.

After the assault, the court documents say Hilt told the victim not to say anything. In the affidavit, the victim told police she was "scared and confused since he was her teacher and she trusted him."

According to the documents, the victim told police the alleged sexual assaults continued inside of the school, saying there were occasions when Hilt would call her out of her classes he wasn't teaching, "for the purpose of sexually assaulting her."

According to the affidavit, that the assaults took place in a different classroom across the hall, inside a camera closet in the library, and the school parking lot inside of Hilt's car.

In the documents, the victim told police that Hilt chaperoned a trip to Denver in the spring of 2015. During that trip, the victim told investigators Hilt invited her into his hotel room when she was supposed to be attending sessions for the week and allegedly assaulted her.

Over the summer, Hilt reportedly contacted the victim and gave her assignments so she would come to the school and he could assault her.

In the affidavit, the victim told police she believes she was assaulted approximately 2-3 times a week during the 2015 part of the school year. During the summer of 2015, the victim told police she was assaulted about once a week. In total, the affidavit says the victim believes she was sexually assaulted a total of 40 times.

In the court documents, police say witnesses corroborated the victim's story. One witness, a friend of the victim, provided screenshots of the conversations between them and Hilt, including messages where Hilt included "details about the sexual nature of the relationship."

The affidavit also included an interview with a former employee who described Hilt's interactions with students as "maybe more personal than needed." The employee told officers Hilt's relationship with the victim was "closer than the rest of the students due to how much time they spent together," and that he was concerned for off-school events where Hilt was left alone with students. The employee told officers he told Hilt to "stay in public view, and not go alone with students."

According to court documents, police interviewed the victim's mother and discovered she knew about the alleged sexual assaults but did not come forward due to "not wanting to ruin [redacted]'s education or future after school."

According to the affidavit, the victim's mother told officers "she felt it was her way of protecting her daughter at the time but did have prior knowledge of her daughter being sexually assaulted."

In the affidavit, the victim's mother says she confronted Hilt about the alleged sexual assaults, but Hilt did not say anything. She told officers she "expressed her desire for him to quit his job, move away, and never talk to her daughter ever again." The next day, the victim's mother says Hilt resigned from his teaching position and moved away.

Investigators confirmed Hilt resigned from the Manitou Springs School District in 2016.

In addition to being a teacher, Hilt was also listed as an advisor for the Manitou Springs High School newspaper, The Prospector. Court documents also suggest Hilt coached the girl on a sports team at Manitou Springs High School. Hilt was a cross country runner at UCCS before working for the school district.

On Nov. 19, Hilt, 35, was arrested in Routt County for Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust.

KRDO reached out to Hilt on Wednesday and spoke with him briefly by phone. When this reporter identified himself, Hilt immediately hung up the phone.

Hilt was released on bond and is expected to be in court on Dec. 6.