Colorado prosecutor sentenced for potential grooming of teen sent to "shadow" him at work
An employee with the Denver District Attorney's Office was recently sentenced to jail time and probation after he was prosecuted by another district attorney's office in the Denver metro area.
The case concluded Oct. 4. Then, a judge ordered Daniel James Steinhauser to two months behind bars and five years of supervised probation. The 29-year-old juvenile prosecutor pleaded guilty in July to a single count of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, a high-level misdemeanor.
The case against Steinhauser began in early 2023 when the Arapahoe County parents of a teenage boy found inappropriate texts between their son and Steinhauser. Previously, those parents had sent their son to spend time with Steinhauser at the Denver DA's office in an attempt to reform the teenager's behavioral issues.
"The family had hoped their son would be able to witness a juvenile (court) docket and see the potential consequences associated with poor decisions," the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office stated in a press release.
The parents notified police after searching their son's cell phone and finding messages from Steinhauser encouraging the teenager to smoke marijuana.
An Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office investigator later determined Steinhauser's messages to be potential grooming behavior.
"Multiple texts included conversations on how to smoke marijuana without detection and how to clear it out of your system," as stated by prosecutors. "Other messages included Steinhauser asking the teen to meet with him without his parents and to delete messages so he wouldn't get in trouble."
Steinhauser and the teen had also agreed to move their messaging to another social media app.
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It is illegal for persons under the age of 21 to consume or possess marijuana in Colorado unless they have a valid medical marijuana card.
Steinhauser was charged in October 2023, six months after the teen's parents intercepted the test messages. Steinhauser was at one point headed to trial prior to pleading guilty.
As part of his probation, Steinhauser is not permitted contact with anyone under the age of 18.
"While many misdemeanor offenses often result in no time behind bars," District Attorney John Kellner stated in the press release, "I do believe this defendant's jail sentence is appropriate based on his blatant disregard for the law and the trust he eroded through his own actions."
A spokesman with the Denver DA's Office confirmed for CBS News Office that Steinhauser is no longer employed there.
