Authorities in Mesa County on Wednesday arrested a man on suspicion of 24 counts related to the sexual assault of eight victims, including one who is 6 years old.
The county sheriff’s office began investigating Larry Dean Church, 53, after an adult victim reported being sexually assaulted last December. Church was identified as the suspect in that assault.
“What the investigator found was seven additional victims of sex assault, ranging in age from 6-years-old to 21-years-old,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Of the 24 counts filed against Church, 22 of them are felonies. Two of the charges Church faces are for unlawful sexual contact, a misdemeanor.
Church is set to appear in court Thursday, the office said.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or
