BROOMFIELD — Jurors have begun to deliberate the sexual-assault case against Travis Masse, the former Broomfield High School wrestling coach and history teacher.
The jury got the case at about 4 p.m. and District Judge Thomas Ensor said he would keep the panel deliberating until about 5 p.m. If they do not reach a verdict today, deliberations will resume tomorrow.
Ensor this morning blasted a prosecutor’s attempt to introduce evidence that indicates Travis Masse had access to a hotel room where he had sex with a then-17-year-old girl.
Masse, 29, is on trial in Broomfield District Court on two counts of sexual assault on a child. Both counts relate to the 17-year-old.
Masse was testifying this morning when prosecutor Yvette Werner asked him if he had gotten key for a separate room from a parent while the Broomfield High wrestling team was at a tournament in southern California in January 2009.
After a brief conference with both sides in the case, Ensor abruptly told jurors to leave for lunch and blasted Werner.
“You are trying to get this (evidence) into the back door,” Ensor said. “To bring it up at this point is clearly an ambush.”
Ensor said if prosecutors had evidence Masse was given a separate room key by a parent, it should have been presented before the trial in fairness to Masse and his laywer Pamela Mackey.
The parent was Boulder Valley School Superintendent Chris King, whose son is on the wrestling team. King gave his room key to Masse because King was going to spend the night with his wife in another room, said Werner.
Werner argued the disclosure about the room key only came to light yesterday and it needed to be presented as evidence.
“This is a process of truth-seeking,” Werner said, adding Masse was lying when he denied having sex with the girl on the 8th floor of the hotel where the team was staying.
Ensor, however, refused to allow the key to be presented during the rest of the trial. “This is clearly a violation of discovery,” he said.
Masse admitted to jurors he sent thousands of text messages to the girl, including those which were sexually-charged.
But he denies having sex with the girl, including during the California trip. He is continuing his testimony today.
Testimony wrapped about 1:30 p.m.; closing arguments will be made this afternoon.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
