A patient at a state-run facility for the developmentally disabled in Wheat Ridge is accused of sexually assaulting a staffer in a field after fleeing the center on foot.
The incident happened last month.
The defendant has a preliminary hearing Aug. 25 in Jefferson County District Court.
Thomas Lara, 19, faces three counts of sexual assault stemming from a July 18 incident near the Wheat Ridge Regional Center, 5255 Miller St., according to an arrest affidavit in the case.
The center, according to its website, serves the “hardest to serve” people with developmental disabilities in the state, including “those who are a risk to the community and/or themselves.”
Lara had fled the center, “gone AWOL,” along with another patient at the same time, but the pair split and headed in opposite directions, according to the affidavit.
The staffer, who has worked there for about 10 months, pursued Lara into a field adjacent to the facility. She talked him into returning, but on the way back Lara allegedly grabbed the woman’s buttocks.
When she protested, Lara became agitated and sat down. He asked her to have sex, according to the affidavit.
The staffer again tried to persuade Lara to return to the center, instead, he knocked her to the ground and began attacking her.
Lara allegedly fondled, kissed, and partially disrobed the staffer, while lying on top of her.
Just before the alleged attack, the staffer had called other staffers for help and to tell them where they were.
Staffers arrived and aided their co-worker, stopping the alleged assault.
A spokeswoman with the state Department of Human Services, citing privacy concerns, did not disclose details about the incident.
“An internal investigation is ongoing,” said Alicia Caldwell, communications director with the department. “Retraining is a likely outcome of the investigation.”
When officers arrived, three or four staff members were surrounding Lara, who was lying down, “crying profusely” and asking for his mother, according to the affidavit.
At one point, the affidavit said, Lara screamed: “I knew I was going to rape her. I’m sorry.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or
