Greeley, Colorado - Union Colony Prep School Teacher Chris Adams-Wenger Charged with Sexually Assaulting Student

Union Colony Prep School Teacher Accused of Sexually Assaulting a Student

A teacher for Union Colony Preparatory School in Greeley has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student. 32-year-old Christopher Adams-Wenger has been charged with two third-degree felonies: sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust, and sexual assault on a child/pattern of abuse.

Adams-Wenger is accused of having a relationship with a 16-year-old female student at the school. School officials contacted the police on Wednesday, September 4 and Adams-Wenger was arrested on Friday, September 6 following an investigation.

Prior to his time at Union Colony, Adams-Wenger taught in the Peoria, Illinois area. He worked for Dunlap Community Unit School District 323 for five years. From 2011 to 2016, he was an orchestra teacher at Dunlap Valley, Dunlap Grade School, and Ridgewood. Before that, he was at Charter Oak in the Peoria Public Schools district from 2010-2011.

Adams-Wenger has a court date scheduled for Wednesday, September 11. Anyone with information related to this case has been asked to contact detective Leslie Schmidt at 970-350-9572.

Legal Recourse for Victims of Sexual Assault by Teachers

Attorney contributor Dan Lipman represents survivors in civil lawsuits. Dan has a few thoughts to add regarding the legal rights of those who have been sexually assaulted by teachers:

In education and other fields where adults are working with children, it's important to make sure that all employees are trustworthy people. Tragically, there is a high potential for abuse in these fields, as sexual predators often seek out positions of trust.

When a student reports being sexually abused by a teacher, both the teacher and the school should be investigated. In some cases, the abuse may have been prevented if not for negligence by the school. The victims and their families may have grounds for a lawsuit in cases of negligence.

For example, a school could be considered negligent if they had ignored previous complaints of sexual misconduct involving the accused teacher or if they had failed to run a background check before hiring the accused.

If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by a teacher or another school employee, you can learn more about your legal rights by speaking with an experienced sex abuse victims attorney.

Sources

https://denver.cbslocal.com/video/4161662-christopher-adams-wenger-arrested-following-reported-relationship-with-student/

https://week.com/news/2019/09/10/former-peoria-area-teacher-arrested-in-colorado-for-sexual-assault/