A 46-year-old cheerleading booster club volunteer has been arrested for investigation of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, officials say.
Carl Ruch was arrested Wednesday on a charge of sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust, said Cocha Heyden, spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
He is being held in the Douglas County Jail on a $50,000 bond, Heyden said.
Ruch allegedly sexually assaulted the girl once or multiple times between July 2 and Aug. 12, she said.
Ruch is an officer at a Castle View High School booster club that supports the cheerleading squad, said Whei Wong, spokeswoman for Douglas County Public Schools. His daughter is on the team but she was not the victim, Wong said.
“He was definitely involved with the club,” Wong said.
The girl was allegedly assaulted at Ruch’s Larkspur home during a gathering of other students, Wong said. She said she does not know whether the student was also on the cheerleading team. It was not an official school gathering, Wong said.
“We’ve been in touch with the parents of the students,” she said. “No matter how the investigation unfolds, you hope parents have conversations with kids so they are aware of what’s going on.”
Whei said the school can’t bar kids from getting together on their own.
“We don’t want to create an environment of fear,” she said.
Unfortunately parents may know their child’s friend but not the parents of that child, she said.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, which was notified about the alleged offenses Aug. 20, will continue to interview other people about the case, Heyden said.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
