BOULDER, Colo. — A former firefighter in Boulder County set for trial early next year on sexual assault charges is facing new charges of sexual assault by a person in a position of trust involving a fire department intern.
Kamron Barnaby was arrested in April 2023 and initially faced seven counts of sexual assault. He's since been charged with 17 counts and is set for trial in February.
In September of this year, a woman emailed a Boulder County Sheriff's Office detective and said she had just found out about a criminal case against Barnaby and wanted to provide a statement because she felt her personal experiences with Barnaby were relevant to the case.
She said when she was 17 and in high school she interned at the Hygiene Fire Department when Barnaby was the captain. She told investigators that Barnaby sexually harassed her and "coerced" her into doing things, according to an arrest affidavit from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. When asked if she believed she had been sexually assaulted, she replied, "Yes." She also said she feared workplace retaliation if she did not go along with Barnaby's requests, according to the affidavit.
She said Barnaby was initially friendly and welcoming but said within two weeks of her starting the internship he began sending her sexually explicit messages and videos, the affidavit says. She also said that Barnaby said he would "work it out" so that she would work an overnight shift while he was on duty, She noted the chief had previously said there was not enough staff and that it would have been "inappropriate' for her to be there overnight with another male.
When asked if she still intended to become a firefighter the woman said no, and indicated it was because of her experience at the Hygiene department.
Court records show Barnaby was arrested on a new charge of sexual assault on a child in a position of trust on Monday.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office said their initial investigation began after deputies were made aware of a sexual assault allegation made by a firefighter in her exit interview.
During the investigation, four people came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Barnaby. Two of those people were subordinate employees of Barnaby, who was a captain with the Hygiene Fire Protection District at the time, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies said some of the sexual assaults occurred while Barnaby was on duty as a fire captain.
According to court records, the alleged crimes happened between June 2018 and March 2021.
Records obtained by 9NEWS show Barnaby resigned from the Hygiene department in lieu of termination after an internal investigation in 2020. He was later hired by the Mountain View Fire Department.
