THORNTON, Colo. — A former employee at a Thornton middle school is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student, the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office said.
Cathia Covarrubias Ruiz, 24, is facing three counts of sexual assault on a child, the office said Wednesday. They include sexual assault on a child, sexual assault on a child - pattern of abuse and sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.
Prosecutors said Covarrubias Ruiz is accused of having a relationship with a student at Quist Middle School, where she worked as a paraeducator from October 2021 to January 2022.
Covarrubias Ruiz was booked into the Adams County jail Monday, according to jail records. Her next court appearance is set for Thursday.
27J Schools said Covarrubias Ruiz is no longer employed by the district. They released a statement Wednesday saying:
All of 27J Schools are very sad and angered by the alleged inappropriate relationship of a former employee with a student. Based on the charges brought against the defendant, we find this situation deeply disturbing and traumatic.
Our first priority is the care and support of the victim. We have offered support to the victim’s family and will continue to offer ongoing support.
This matter is still under investigation and there’s limited information we can share. However, because we value transparency with our families, earlier this week we reached out to our school parent community to let them know about the allegation and the nature of law enforcement’s investigation.
As we received further information about this case today, we shared with Quist parents the name of the defendant and the charges brought against her. This case has now been passed on to the District Attorney’s office and they are now overseeing the case moving forward.
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