A former Poudre School District counselor has been accused of sexually assaulting a student multiple times over several years.
Fort Collins Police Services says it received a report in July about a former counselor having an inappropriate relationship with a student while working for PSD, according to a news release. The victim was a juvenile at the time but is now an adult, according to police.
Police say the investigation revealed the former counselor was in an inappropriate relationship with a student for several years and sexually assaulted that student on multiple occasions off campus.
Police arrested 40-year-old Cassandra Poncelow on Aug. 19. She has been charged with:
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Sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust (pattern of abuse), a Class 3 felony.
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Criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation of children, a Class 3 felony.
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Aggravated sexual assault on a client by a pyschotherapist, a Class 3 felony.
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Sexual assault, a Class 4 felony.
Poncelow worked for PSD between 2007 and 2024, police said. They declined to say when the inappropriate relationship or sexual assaults allegedly occurred.
PSD spokesperson John Cope provided the Coloradoan a timeline of where Poncelow worked during her time with the district:
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2007: Webber Middle School
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2007-2008: Rocky Mountain High School
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Summer of 2008: Irish Elementary School
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2008-2011: Rocky Mountain High School
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2011-2013: Fort Collins High School
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Summer of 2013: Lincoln Middle School
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2013-2014: Poudre High School and Lincoln Middle School
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2014-2015: Poudre High School, Lincoln Middle School and Irish Elementary School
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2015-2018: Poudre High School
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2018-2019: Poudre High School and Cache la Poudre Middle School
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2019-2024: Poudre High School
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2023-2024: Career Tech Center
Poncelow became a counselor in the 2011-2012 school year, Cope said, and prior to that she held cassified roles with the district.
Police say PSD has been cooperative throughout the investigation.
Poncelow was named the 2016 Colorado Counselor of the Year by the Colorado School Counseling Association and was a finalist for the American School Counselor of the Year in 2018.
As of Aug. 19, Poncelow was listed as a ninth grade success coach at the Center for High School Success. According to her staff profile on the organization’s website, Poncelow had most recently spent eight years at Poudre High School before that role.
The Coloradoan has contacted the Center for High School Success for comment on Poncelow’s employment status. The organization’s website says it “provides training, coaching, data analysis, peer learning opportunities, and tools and resources to support high schools.”
Poncelow remains in the Larimer County Jail as of 4 p.m. Aug. 19 on a $500,000 cash only bond.
Anyone with information about this case who has not yet spoken with police can contact Det. Cole Giandomenico at 970-221-6558 or Larimer County Crime Stoppers at 970-221-6868.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
This article was updated to include new information.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Former Colorado Counselor of the Year arrested for child sex assault
