ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A second person charged last year in connection with child sex abuse allegations dating back to 2001 pleaded guilty Friday morning.
Content Warning: This story involves allegations of systematic sexual abuse of multiple children.
Rona Culler, 55, faced 10 counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of abuse, five counts of aggravated incest, and one count of sexual exploitation of a child.
She appeared in court Friday morning in Arapahoe County where she pleaded guilty to two counts of child sexual exploitation. She's set to be sentenced in June.
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Culler was one of three people arrested and charged last year in Arapahoe County. Court documents obtained by 9Wants to Know describe her as a girlfriend of Allan Long, who was one of those charged.
Allan Long, who had worked as a volunteer firefighter, trucker and karaoke business operator faced more than 40 felony counts amid accusations he systematically sexually abused children over two decades – allegations that were reported to authorities multiple times over the years but never thoroughly investigated, 9Wants to Know has learned.
Prosecutors initially charged Long with 41 separate charges – 20 counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of abuse; six counts of sexual contact – coercion of a child; five counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust; five counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of abuse; three counts of sexual exploitation of a child; one count of sexual contact with no consent by force or threat; and one count of sexual assault – overcoming a victim’s will.
Allan Long, 51, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 21, but waived that and the case was immediately bound over. He pleaded guilty to 10 counts and faces 80 years to life when sentenced this month.
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Long on Sept. 7, 2021, after its previous investigation, which was closed in 2007, was reopened.
Ginger Delgado, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said a review of records from 2007 showed that the case might have stalled back then because some of the victims were very young and unwilling to disclose information. Also, key witnesses did not respond to the investigator's attempts to contact them, Delgado said.
The investigator thought, at the time, that there wasn't enough evidence to file criminal charges and deactivated the case pending contact with those witnesses, Delgado said.
The case was revived in 2021 by an alert supervisor in the evidence bureau. The 2007 allegations were nearing the statute of limitations, and a decision needed to be made about releasing or destroying evidence in the case.
Martha “Loni” Long, 52, faces four counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, one count of aggravated incest and one count of sexual exploitation of a child.
She and Allan Long were married at one time, according to court documents.
Martha Long was being held on $100,000 bail. She's next due in court on April 8 for an arraignment.
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