A Bent County deputy sheriff has been arrested for investigation of attempted sexual exploitation of a child after authorities say he sent a semi-nude photo of himself and a second photo of himself in his sheriff’s uniform to an investigator posing as an underage teen.
Hubert E. Teague, 35, of LaJunta was arrested by investigators of the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office after almost two weeks of correspondence.
During that time, Teague allegedly sent two undercover officers sexually-oriented e-mails, asked to have phone sex and requested nude pictures of the child.
In one of the pictures Teague sent to investigators, he was wearing a T-shirt but was nude below the waist.
Teague, who was arrested Friday, has been placed on administrative leave without pay, according to Bent County Sheriff Gerry Oyen. He is being investigated for attempted Internet sex-exploitation of a child and attempted sexual exploitation of a child.
The Jefferson County district attorney’s office has until Thursday to decide what, if any, charges will be filed against Teague.
Teague was a detention officer in the Sheriff’s Office.
The sting was conducted by Michael Harris, a veteran of the DA’s Crimes Against Children Unit, and investigator Cassandra Harris.
According to an arrest-warrant affidavit filed by Michael Harris, Teague began communicating with investigators on Jan. 10, using the screen name “heteague.”
He told the person he thought was an underage teen that he was married and 34 years old. Upon receiving a picture of a young teenager in a swimming suit, he told her she had a nice body and asked her if she wanted to “play on the phone.”
When Harris replied, “sometimes,” Teague wrote back: “Just don’t wanna wind up in jail over it.”
On Jan. 21, when Teague was asked by the “teenager” what he did, he stated, “deputy sheriff.”
When Teague found out that the child allegedly had nude photos of herself, he asked if she could call him on the phone while she transmitted the pictures.
As the pictures were transmitted, investigator Cassandra Harris called Teague portraying herself as the child.
Teague told Cassandra Harris, according to the affidavit, that he couldn’t wait to receive the pictures.
Several attempts at transmission of the pictures resulted in Teague receiving black pictures without images.
Michael Harris called Teague on Friday and told him what had been going on. At that point, said Harris, Teague admitted to being a deputy, that he had sent the picture in which he exposed himself and also admitted asking for naked pictures of the purported teen.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
