Girl alerts mother that she is being held against her will with another juvenile; man arrested

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) received a report that a runaway child was contacting her mother to inform her that she was being held against her will.

According to an online police blotter post, detectives arrested 62-year-old Jerome Scott for the charges of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, along with many other charges.

CSPD states that they received the report Friday, July 4, at around 12:30 a.m., after the mother filed a report that her child was contacting her on the internet, saying she was being held against her will and another juvenile was with her.

The juveniles were found at an apartment in the 300 block of Victoria Street. KRDO13 spoke with residents who live at the apartment complex, who said they woke up to the police activity.

"Yeah, it woke me up cause I was watching TV, and then I fell asleep. I sleep with my window open to get a nice cool breeze. And then I heard yelling, hollering, and screaming," recounted resident Roger Goolsby.

He says he saw multiple police officers at the complex for hours into the morning.

"I saw about 5 or 6 police cars. And what I heard was noise in the building, like there's someone kicking in the door and coming down the steps. And that's what I heard it was real loud," explained Goolsby.

He said it was loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood. Goolsby also recounts hearing someone yelling at the officers, shouting profanities right outside of their apartment complex. After he found out why the police were responding, he said it was like something from a fictitious film.

"I've seen it on TV and Hollywood stuff, but actually, it is real; it's no joke," shared Goolsby, "Oh, it's scary. But it's a sign of the times; I'm not surprised at anything."

Scott has been booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center.

The list of charges provided by CSPD:

• Sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust - class three felony
• Unlawful dispensing [of a controlled substance] - class one drug felony
• Contributing to the delinquency of a minor - class one misdemeanor
• Harboring a minor - class two misdemeanor

According to the police blotter post, detectives with the Crimes Against Children Unit responded and will continue the investigation.

Police say officers from Stetson Hills, Sand Creek, Gold Hill, and DART assisted in the effort to find the juveniles.

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