CIVA Charter High School teacher on leave following arrest for alleged online child exploitation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says it has arrested a local teacher after a September tip from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) in Florida.

46-year-old Nicholas Madson, who works at CIVA Charter High School, was arrested on a felony charge for soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using computer services.

According to arrest records obtained by KRDO13, the victim told SCSO detectives she had been communicating with the suspect for about two years through Discord and email.

The arrest records show CIVA Charter High School's IP address was used to access the Discord account multiple times in August.

Randy Zimmerman, Executive Director of CIVA Charter High School, told KRDO13 that Madson has been placed on paid leave from the school. Madson has been employed with the school since 2019.

Zimmerman added that school personnel were first made aware of this investigation on Wednesday, October 14. CSPD says Madson was taken into custody on the Florida criminal charge this same day.

"The safety and well-being of our students has always been and will always remain, our highest priority.  We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so throughout this investigation... The school has never had any concerns about Mr. Madson's behavior with students.  There are no allegations stemming from his work with students at our school. No parents or students have shared any concerns about Mr. Madson since his arrest," Zimmerman said in part in a statement to KRDO13.

Below is the communication from CIVA Charter High School shared with parents and community members regarding the arrest:

"Dear CIVA Families,

We are writing to inform you that CIVA Charter High School teacher Nick Madson was arrested on Wednesday, October 14, in connection with allegations of sexual exploitation of a minor stemming from an investigation in Florida.

The safety and well-being of our students has always been, and will always remain, our highest priority. We recognize the gravity of these allegations and understand the concern this news may cause for our students, families, and staff.

CIVA has cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so throughout this investigation. Mr. Madson is not currently working with students and will not return to the classroom while this matter remains under investigation.

While we understand that families may have questions, this is an ongoing law enforcement matter involving an individual employee, and we are unable to comment further on the investigation or confidential personnel matters.

We remain committed to providing a safe, supportive learning environment for every student. If you have questions or concerns about your child's well-being or experience at school, please reach out to me directly. We welcome the opportunity to speak with families individually and provide support where needed.

Thank you for the trust you place in our school."

KRDO13 also discovered Madson is the founder and executive producer of Green Glass Productions, a theatre production company that puts on performances at The Butte Theatre in Cripple Creek.

The Butte Theatre said they are no longer working with Green Glass Productions, and the current production of "Sweeney! Demon Barber of Cripple Creek" will continue under a different production company.

The theatre, along with the City of Cripple Creek, later released the following statement:

"The City of Cripple Creek and the Butte Theatre are aware of the recent arrest of Nicholas Madson, owner of Green Glass Productions, and the serious allegations associated with this matter.

Upon learning of the situation, the City of Cripple Creek and the Butte Theatre acted swiftly to separate Green Glass Productions and Nicholas Madson from all ongoing operations and productions at the Butte Theatre.

The City and the Butte Theatre take these allegations extremely seriously. The safety and well-being of our performers, staff, patrons, and community remain our highest priorities.

To ensure continuity of the Theatre's professional season, the city and the Butte Theatre have made arrangements with another professional theatre production company to assume responsibility for the remaining scheduled performances of Sweeney! The Demon Barber of Cripple Creek and the upcoming production of Winter Wonderettes.

"Our priority was to respond immediately and responsibly while ensuring that the Butte Theatre could continue serving our community," said Zack Sztanyo, Butte Theatre Manager. "We moved quickly to separate the Theatre from Green Glass Productions and establish a path forward for our remaining productions. We remain committed to providing a safe, professional environment for everyone involved."

The Butte Theatre's remaining 2026 productions will move forward as scheduled.

The City of Cripple Creek and the Butte Theatre recognize the seriousness of the ongoing legal proceedings and will cooperate with law enforcement should assistance be requested. Out of respect for the legal process, no further comment will be made regarding the allegations at this time.

We appreciate the continued support of our performers, patrons, and community as the Butte Theatre moves forward with its professional season."

CSPD says additional follow-up investigations are continuing to recover any potential additional evidence. If any additional evidence is recovered, criminal charges in Colorado could follow.

“We don't have any information that there are additional victims in this specific case. However, if there is anybody out there that feels like they may have been contacted or have had contact with this person, then we're just asking them to reach out to us,” said Lt. Korey Hutchison, who leads CSPD's Internet Crimes Against Children/Human Trafficking Unit.

Madson is currently being held in the El Paso County Jail without bond.

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