Former Northern Colorado chief district attorney pleads guilty to sexual assault of court intern

A former chief district attorney in Larimer County has pleaded guilty to sexual assault after a former intern came forward to police. Dan Quinn, who served in the Larimer County District Attorney's Office in the late 1990s, was charged with having sexual relations with a county intern years before she turned 18.

As part of a plea agreement to avoid jail time, Quinn pleaded guilty Friday afternoon to one charge of sexual assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor. Before the plea agreement was reached, Quinn was being charged with sexual assault of a child by a person in a position of trust.

Before a judge, Friday, Quinn and his attorney went out of their way to notify the court they were admitting guilt to the charge of sexual assault but not to the details of all the crimes he was accused of in the arrest affidavit.

In that affidavit, Quinn was accused of kissing, touching, grooming, and having sexual relations with the girl for several years, oftentimes reportedly while on the job.

Fort Collins Police started investigating Quinn in late 2022, more than 20 years after the alleged crimes, after the now-adult victim came forward with her story. She initially shared her story with the Larimer County District Attorney's Office and current DA Gordon McLaughlin, who tells CBS News Colorado he referred the case to police after believing abuse had occurred.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by CBS News Colorado, Quinn and the girl met when she was a 16-year-old intern in the court system through the Poudre School District.

The girl first met Quinn when she was delivering court files to his office in the 1990s. Over time the two allegedly continued to grow closer, with Quinn said to have asked the victim to go to a private lunch with him.

The arrest affidavit said Quinn then started inviting the underage victim to go on rides in his Jeep to places like Horsetooth Reservoir. The victim recalled him telling her she was beautiful and touching her inappropriately.

Quinn told Fort Collins Police he remembered having a connection with the girl at the time, but admitted to them that the victim did not have the emotional maturity to be making decisions about their physical relationship.

Quinn reportedly told police he knew he should not have been kissing or touching the victim at the time, admitting to doing so in the stairwell of the district attorney's office at the time. He also reportedly told police he felt their prior relationship was "good" and helped bring the victim "out of her shell."

The victim told police she recalled being flattered by Quinn's attention at the time, noting she aspired to be an attorney like he was. However, office employees started to complain about the two's connection as they grew closer.

Upon investigation, Fort Collins Police reported speaking with former colleagues of Quinn who remembered Quinn and the victim being close. One former coworker of Quinn told police Quinn was, "…absolutely in a position of trust and should be held accountable."

The victim told police she agreed to have sexual contact with Quinn for several years, between the ages of 16 and 19. However, due to her age at the time and Quinn's position of power and trust, the victim was not capable of consenting to the sexual relationship they shared.

Quinn was eventually placed on leave from his position as chief district attorney as word spread about his connection to the victim. The district attorney at the time, Stu Vanmeveren, then reportedly allowed Quinn to resign from his position instead of firing him and reporting the sexual relationship to police.

CBS News Colorado has learnedthat because of that, the county has agreed to remove Vanmeveren's name from part of the Larimer County Court House, which was previously named in his honor.

The current county commissioners, who were not serving during Quinn's reported actions, also agreed to pay the victim $300,000 as part of a settlement in her civil lawsuit. The lawsuit accused the county's staff at the time of failing to report Quinn's actions.

The victim, who CBS News Colorado has agreed not to identify due to her age at the time of the crimes, was present in the courtroom on Friday for Quinn's arraignment.

Quinn will be sentenced on October 1 by a Weld County judge, as all judges in Larimer County recused themselves from the case.

As part of the plea agreement, Quinn will avoid jail time, instead receiving probation with a deferred judgment of four years. He will also be placed on supervised sex offender probation and will be required to receive treatment for at least one year, after which he can apply for early termination.

When asked if the agreement and guilty plea were what he wanted, Quinn told the judge, "Yes, I do, your honor."

Using legal terms, Quinn did attempt to submit what is known as an "Alford Plea." Such a plea would allow Quinn to maintain his innocence while conceding that the evidence against him would likely result in a guilty verdict if brought to a jury of his peers.

The request appeared to cause a moment of confusion for both the judge and the victim in the room. The judge then explained to Quinn and his representation that an Alford plea would not be possible as part of this agreement.

"What we are pleading to is not to what was alleged," his attorney, Stephanie Stout, told the judge.

Quinn elected to still plead guilty.

Though the case was being prosecuted by the Weld County District Attorney's Office, because of Quinn's connection to the Larimer County DA's office, McLaughlin shared a statement with CBS News Colorado.

"Our office works tirelessly to ensure justice for victims and our staff were heartbroken that a former member of the office had used their position to victimize a young member of the community," his office shared in a written statement.

"As the alleged incidents took place twenty-five years ago, no current employees were working in the District Attorney's office during that time and there are no allegations that any current District Attorney officials or employees, nor any current Larimer County officials or employees, were responsible for or knew about the conduct. However, the allegations remain deeply concerning to this office's public servants who have dedicated their professional lives to protecting and restoring victims," the statement said. "This office is committed to seeking justice, protecting and defending victims, and ensuring the safety of our community. As the chief law enforcement agency in Larimer County, we have an obligation to protect community trust and hold those who violate it accountable. Violations of community trust and safety by those in a position of power can be especially perilous. Transparency and accountability are at the heart of our commitment to the community, and that applies even to events that occurred decades ago and those within the criminal justice system. We support and believe this victim and have operated throughout our work on this case with finding justice and accountability for the crimes committed against them as our primary focus."