CSPD officer back on the payroll after pleading guilty to child abuse of a victim in separate case

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The father of an underage sex assault victim is speaking out, outraged that an officer who assaulted the boy is now being paid again after pleading guilty.

"At first? Disbelief, but next outrage that [pleading guilty] to child abuse, that you would still get a paycheck at least from the Colorado Springs Police Department," the boy's father said. "Taxpayers dollars paying him. I mean, I understand administrative leave, but he shouldn't be getting paid."

Officer Shane Reed pleaded guilty last week to one count of misdemeanor child abuse, after admitting to threatening a boy's life and physically harming him. That boy is also listed as a victim in a separate case, where a woman named Kristen Wessel is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the boy. His family member said in court during a May appearance for Wessel that he believed Wessel had groomed the boy and manipulated him to believe that they were in a lawful and socially acceptable relationship.

That May court appearance also confirmed a connection between the two cases -- the suspects were in a romantic relationship. In a court appearance Wednesday, Reed indicated in court that the two were no longer together. The judge told Reed that he understands jealousy is a strong emotion, seeming to point to the fact that Reed was jealous of the sexual involvement between his then-girlfriend Wessel and this underage boy.

Reed was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation during that Wednesday court appearance. He also has to complete 12 anger management classes, a cognitive skills course, and 50 hours of useful public service.

During his sentencing, Chief District Judge William Bain said all of this was "in addition to leaving a stain on the rest of the police department."

According to the website for the Colorado's Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which holds the certifications for law enforcement officers in the state of Colorado, the charge Reed pleaded guilty to does not disqualify him from serving as a law enforcement officer in the state. Reed originally faced more serious charges that would have required him to lose his certification, but after taking a deal with the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office, those charges were dismissed.

As a result of his certification remaining intact, he is being paid while on administrative leave from the Colorado Springs Police Department. He was originally put on unpaid leave because he was charged with a felony, but when that charge was dropped, he was put back on the payroll.

"I've always respected police officers, I think it's a tough job. They're putting their lives on the line, but [this] does make me think twice now about police officers," the boy's father told KRDO in an exclusive interview Monday. "With Colorado Springs police doing what they're doing now, it makes me think twice about them as an organization like, what's going on guys? In this day and age, you're going to do something like this? That just really surprises me."

Reed is the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation, and while that investigation is active, Reed will continue receiving a paycheck unless he resigns. The results of the investigation will dictate whether Reed will continue to work for the department.