Joshua Lucero, 29, was sentenced Friday to 13 years to life in the Colorado Department of Corrections, according to a news release from the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. An Adams County jury convicted him in May of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust — pattern of abuse.

Lucero worked as a youth pastor at Word Alive Church in Thornton, where his father was the lead pastor, the news release stated. He mentored teens, led church events and supervised overnight youth retreats, officials with the district attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors said Lucero secretly developed a relationship with a teenage girl in the church’s youth group and began “engaging in sexual contact with her” when she was 16 years old. The incidents happened an unknown number of times over several years, and Lucero pressured her not to tell anyone, according to the release.

The girl and her parents reported Lucero to church leadership in 2021, but the leadership team did not notify law enforcement and decided to handle the matter internally, officials with the district attorney’s office said.

Three board members resigned after church leadership decided not to file a police report, prosecutors said. Those board members later reported the assaults to the Thornton Police Department, according to the release.

Police said the girl was initially unprepared to press charges against Lucero, but she returned to the department in 2024 to speak with investigators. Lucero was arrested in March 2025.

“This defendant abused his position as a youth pastor to exploit a child who trusted him,” District Attorney Brian Mason said in a statement. “The victim in this case showed tremendous courage by coming forward, and today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this betrayal and the harm she endured.”

Lucero’s attorney, Chloe Gleichman with the Colorado Legal Defense Group, previously said Lucero “intends to pursue all avenues on appeal.” Gleichman declined to comment Monday.

Word Alive Church also did not respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

A 911 caller reported at 4:53 a.m. that a vehicle had crashed into a pole along Colorado Boulevard between East 100th Avenue and Thornton Parkway. Officers arrived to find two people who had been shot inside the crashed vehicle.

A male passenger died at the scene, and the female driver was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. She died several hours later, Thornton police said.

Their names will be released by the Adams County coroner’s office.

Police closed that stretch of road for nearly six hours for the investigation, reopening it as of 10:38 a.m., department officials said on social media.

Investigators are still working to determine where the shooting occurred, police spokeswoman Kylynn McTague said.

“We have multiple detectives out here right now,” she said.

During the response to the shooting, a Thornton officer left a police vehicle on RTD train tracks for the N-Line, and an RTD train hit the empty police vehicle at 6:34 a.m., according to the State Patrol, which is investigating the crash. The N-Line crosses East 100th Avenue at Colorado Boulevard.

A on Friday showed a white pickup truck branded “Police” with its bed partially crushed against an RTD train at the crossing. The truck’s police lights were activated before the crash, Trooper Sherri Mendez said in a statement.

No one was injured in the collision either on the train or at the crime scene, Mendez said.

The officer had just arrived on scene and gotten out of the vehicle to determine where they were needed when the crash happened, McTague said in a briefing Friday morning. She declined to comment further on the officer’s decision to leave the truck on the tracks and referred to the state patrol’s investigation.

Passengers on the train disembarked and were transferred to RTD buses, Mendez said in a statement. The RTD train received “minor damage,” she said.

The N-Line train was replaced by shuttle buses for about four hours, with train service resuming at 10:45 a.m., RTD said. The agency is still providing supplemental bus service, and riders may still see delays,

Thornton police officials will launch a separate administrative investigation into the crash to “determine compliance with department policy,” the department said in a news release.

In response to a request for comment on RTD’s investigation into the crash, spokesperson Tina Jaquez said the state patrol is leading the investigation and added that trains cannot stop quickly because of their weight and speed.

“It is important to remind everyone to be safe around tracks and crossings,” she said.

The Thornton Police Department first posted about the crash at .

Four people were injured in the crash, and one person had to be extricated from one of the vehicles, according to the Thornton Fire Department. Officials did not specify how many people were in each vehicle, or the extent of their injuries.

Riverdale Road was closed for nearly two hours on Sunday between 100th and 104th avenues during the crash cleanup and investigation, .

The road reopened at about 5:40 p.m. Sunday, police said.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Both the Thornton City Pool, 2141 E. 95th Ave., and the Margaret W. Carpenter Recreation Center, 11151 Colorado Blvd., were evacuated “as a precaution” at about 2:30 p.m., .

Explosives-detecting dogs from RTD Transit Police, Commerce City officers, Adams County sheriff’s deputies, Douglas County sheriff’s deputies and the U.S. Marshals Service joined Thornton officers to search both facilities, police said. Nothing suspicious was found.

Both locations were cleared shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday. The centers were closed for the rest of the day and will reopen Wednesday.

The 28-year-old man was identified as a suspect and questioned shortly after calls were made to the two Thornton facilities, where the caller said he was “making a bomb threat,” according to an evening update from the Thornton Police Department. Police arrested the suspect at about 6 p.m. on suspicion of false reporting of explosives, roughly four hours after the first threat was made, .

As of Tuesday evening, officials were in contact with Federal Heights police to determine if the incident is linked to a threat received at Water World on July 11. The water park was evacuated, but “no credible threat” was found.

This is an ongoing story and will be updated.

The shooting happened inside a home in the 3600 block of East 91st Avenue at 1:45 a.m., the in a news release.

Police found one victim shot inside the home, and he died after paramedics took him to the hospital. Investigators identified Cesar Licon Jr. as a suspect and arrested him Sunday night.

Thornton police have not said how detectives identified Licon as a suspect. He is in custody at the Adams County Jail and is being held without bail. His next court date was not available on Tuesday.

The victim will be identified by the Adams County Coroner’s Office.

This is a developing story.

Thornton officers responded to the shooting in the 3600 block of East 91st Avenue shortly before 1:45 a.m. Sunday, according to a .

When officers arrived, they found a man who had been shot outside of a home with a party taking place inside, police said. Paramedics took the man to the hospital, where he died. The suspect fled the scene before police arrived, according to the agency.

Police said the man’s death is under investigation as a homicide. He will be identified by the Adams County Coroner’s Office.

Information about the events leading up to the shooting was not available Sunday.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Thornton Police Department’s tip line at 720-977-5069.

The man typically targeted closed businesses between midnight and 6 a.m. and broke into the shops either by cutting through lockboxes to access spare keys or breaking through the stores’ windows and doors, according to an April indictment. He then typically grabbed what cash was available in cash registers or safes and left, the indictment alleged.

The targeted businesses included retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops and food trucks in Westminster, Broomfield, Arvada, Thornton and other areas around Denver, according to the indictment. The targeted locations included a Taco Bell, Jersey Mike’s Sub, Jack in the Box and Ziggi’s Coffee, among others.

Investigators believe the man stole about $42,000 from the 75 businesses between February and November 2024 and caused about $77,000 in property damage, according to the indictment. He is also accused of stealing a license plate and attempting burglaries at five other businesses. It appeared no one was hurt in the burglaries.

The man, who is already in prison after he was sentenced in February to a six-year term for a series of business burglaries in Lafayette, is next due in court in August. He is represented by a public defender, who as a matter of policy do not comment on ongoing cases.

David Robert Nelimark, 53; May Gnia Nelimark, 49; and their son Asher Keith Kub Nelimark, 13; were found fatally shot at a home in the 3900 block of Harrison Street on May 22, according to police and the Adams and Broomfield County Coroner’s Office.

Joey King Vue, 33, was also found at the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Thornton Police Department said.

Investigators believe Vue, who was related to the Nelimarks, fatally shot them before dying by suicide.

The cause and manner of their deaths is still under investigation, the coroner’s office said.

are survived by another son, according to a GoFundMe fundraising page.

“Asher was deeply loved by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him,” organizers wrote on the page. “His kindness, spirit and presence left a lasting impact on so many lives.”

May and David Nelimark “will also be remembered for the love they shared with their family, friends, and community.”

This is a developing story and may be updated.

officers found four people “obviously deceased” in home in the 3900 block of Harrison Street at around 8 p.m., near 140th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

Officers responded to the home after another family member called 911 because they could not reach the family by phone and, when they stopped by the house, could see people inside who were not responding, police spokesperson Kylynn McTague said.

The victims — a man, woman and juvenile male — were all found with gunshot wounds. Investigators believe the fourth person, a 33-year-old man, fatally shot the three victims before dying by suicide, Thornton police said.

The names of the victims and suspect will be released after they’re identified by the Adams County Coroners Office.

Anyone impacted by the shooting who needs support can contact the police department’s victim services unit at 720-977-5150 or find support through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

Anyone with information about the case can contact the Thornton Police Department tip line at 720-977-5069.

Updated 2:30 p.m. May 23, 2026: Because of a reporter’s error, a previous version of this story misreported which day the shooting took place. The story has been updated.

Dakota Santiago was last seen near the school at 13380 Yosemite St. on March 31, according to the Thornton Police Department.

Missing Indigenous Person Alert Activation
Dakota Santiago, Indigenous female with pink hair and brown eyes, 5'07"/100 lbs, last seen in Thornton, Colorado.
Dakota Santiago was last seen wearing a white sweater and black sweatpants.
If seen, please Thornton PD at 720-977-5150.

— CBI (@CBI_Colorado)

Dakota is described as Indigenous; 5 feet, 7 inches tall; and 100 pounds with pink hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white sweater and black sweatpants, according to an alert from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Anyone with information about here whereabouts should call 911 or the Thornton Police Department at 720-977-5150.