CENTENNIAL — A man who was known as “Grandpa Phil” to neighborhood kids will stand trial on allegations that he sexually assaulted two girls.
At a preliminary hearing today, Arapahoe County Judge Ethan Feldman ruled there was enough evidence for 77-year-old Philbert G. Pargas to go trial.
He is scheduled for arraignment in April.
According to court documents, Pargas allegedly sexually assaulted two young girls between 1997 and 2007, when he lived on East Mercer Drive in Aurora.
He faces 16 counts in connection with the assaults.
Pargas was so trusted by neighbors that some gave them keys to their homes while they were on vacation so Pargas could house sit. And neighborhood kids would frequent the Pargas home to play with him and his granddaughter.
Today, the father of one of the victims and mother of the other testified, mainly confirming ages and dates of when the alleged assaults took place.
Aurora police detective Amber Urban testified that one of the victims said Pargas lured her into his garage more than once and forced her to perform oral sex on him.
“She would to go the 7-Eleven, and she’d be walking home and he would call her over,” Urban said. “If people were around, he’d close the garage door. She said if he was the only one (home), something would happen.”
Urban also said that Pargas would say inappropriate things to the girl and also touched her in inappropriate ways.
The other victim was molested several times at the Pargas home, Urban said. One time when the girl was sleeping on the couch, Pargas approached her, pulled her hand toward him and said, ” ‘You’re going to touch me this time,’ ” Urban said the girl told authorities.
Pargas did not take the witness stand, and his attorney has declined comment.
During questioning by police, Pargas admitted that he gave massages to one girl and gave hugs and kisses to at least one other girl. But he denies having sexual contact with any child, according to police reports.
In the documents, one of the victims did not have many details when she told police what happened. She began to remember more things after studying repressed memories in a high school psychology class, court records say she told police.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
