Former Denver juvenile prosecutor sentenced for contributing to delinquency of a minor
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A former Denver juvenile prosecutor will spend time behind bars after pleading guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
According to a release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Daniel James Steinhauser is sentenced 60 days in jail and five years of supervised probation after he texted a teenage boy, displayed potential "grooming behaviors," and encouraged him to smoke marijuana.
In 2023, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office received a case report from the Denver Police Department involving an attorney with the Denver District Attorney's Office who was encouraging a teenage boy to smoke marijuana.
The investigation revealed the boy's parents had reached out to a law firm after having recent behavioral issues with their son. An attorney with that law firm referred them to Steinhauser, now 29, who was a juvenile prosecutor with the Denver DA's Office. The family had hoped their son would be able to witness a juvenile docket and see the potential consequences associated with poor decisions, a release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office said.
Steinhauser obtained the teen's cell phone number from his parents and began having conversations with the boy through a texting application.
In May 2023, the teen's parents collected the boy's phone and began reviewing his messages. They discovered conversations around smoking marijuana and concealing its use. The teen's parents reached out to the attorney who originally put them in contact with Steinhauser, and they agreed to report the messages to law enforcement.
An investigator with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office reviewed the text messaging conversations and documented potential "grooming behaviors" in her report, the release said. Text messages between the two included conversations on how to smoke marijuana without detection and ways to clear it out of your system.
"I found the defendant's text messages deeply disturbing and inappropriate," Senior Deputy District Attorney Jacob Kremin said in the release. "Mr. Steinhauser's conduct is inexcusable, and I commend the teen's parents for coming forward to report this alarming behavior."
Other messages included Steinhauser asking the teen to meet with him without his parents and to delete text messages so he wouldn't get in trouble. The two agree to eventually take their conversations onto the social media app Snapchat.
Steinhauser was officially charged back in October 2023, and on July 30, 2024, he pleaded guilty to Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. He was sentenced on Oct. 4. In addition to the 60-day jail sentence and 5-years of supervised probation, Steinhauser cannot have any contact with anyone under the age of 18.
"This defendant was able to use his position as an attorney to gain the trust of a troubled youth and his parents," District Attorney John Kellner said. "While many misdemeanor offenses often result in no time behind bars, I do believe this defendant's jail sentence is appropriate based on his blatant disregard for the law and the trust he eroded through his own actions."
