DENVER – A 50-year-old Denver man is accused of sexually assaulting five men near downtown Denver and has been charged with six counts of felony sexual assault.
Tobias Favela, 50, is accused of assaulting the men in November 2013, February 2016, March 2018, April 2018 and September 2018, according to an affidavit for his arrest released on Wednesday.
Many of the victims had been drinking at bars or clubs near downtown Denver before the alleged assaults occurred. Most told police that they were assaulted inside a van, and while some remembered few details, several of the victims told police similar descriptions of their assailant and said he had a high-pitched voice.
In March, Denver police issued a bulletin seeking help in identifying a man believed to have sexually assaulted several men in downtown Denver over the past six years. They described him as possibly being a rideshare driver and having a high-pitched voice.
The affidavit shows that detectives had linked DNA recovered in four of the cases to the same person, though they had not identified him yet.
But the fifth victim had received a call from the suspect after he was assaulted. Police found the number belonged to Favela and also that he had a high-pitched voice and matched the description of the alleged assailant.
In late May, a DNA profile taken in the fifth assault matched to the other four cases. And last Thursday, police collected a saliva sample from Favela, which they next day was found to match with the DNA samples from the five assaults.
He was arrested on Friday and charged with the six counts of sexual assault on Tuesday.
Denver police and the Denver District Attorney’s Office say they believe there may be additional victims of Favela’s that may not have reported being assaulted. Anyone who thinks they might be a victim is asked to call the DPD Sex Crime Unit at 720-913-6040 or anonymously online at www.seekthenspeak.org.