A coach with Team Summit Colorado, a youth ski and snowboard program, has been arrested after he allegedly sexually assaulted a 9-year-old boy in the program during a ski team trip to New Mexico.
After The Denver Post published a story Tuesday morning, the attorney for the boy and his family held a brief press conference to address the case.
Jason Jordan, the attorney, said that coach Jared W. Hedges, 48, had allegedly sexually assaulted the boy. As of March 27, Hedges' ability to coach was temporarily suspended by U.S. SafeSport, which is a Denver-based organization that investigates sex abuse cases involving U.S. Olympic athletes.
Both the victim and Hedges live in Summit County. The district attorney and law enforcement in Taos, New Mexico are handling the criminal investigation. Jordan said he is looking at bringing a lawsuit against the responsible parties.
Denver7 has reached out to the Taos County Sheriff's Office and courts for documentation related to the arrest and charges.
You can watch the attorney describe the allegations against Hedges, and the next steps, in the video below.
Last month, the ski team traveled to Taos, New Mexico with Hedges, another coach and other skiers for a competition. At the time, Hedges had been working in that type of position for more than two decades. He was in charge of travel arrangements, scheduling for travel and sleeping arrangements, Jordan said.
"The coaches had been drinking and then separated at night into their respective cabins, and Mr. Hedges was the only person in the cabin at the time," Jordan said. "He set the situation up. So while he had a room and a bed to sleep in, he chose to sleep in a sleeping bag next to a 9-year-old boy. As you see in the arrest warrant, he was found to have unzipped the boy's sleeping bag and assaulted him multiple times until the boy was able to separate himself, grab his iPad, and in a panic-stricken state, contacted his mother, who then contacted local authorities."
About 14 young male skiers were in that same cabin, Jordan said. Other skiers were in a second cabin, also with a male coach.
The young victim had attended the same competition the year prior as well, and told authorities that there was "some very suspicious and scary type of conduct that was going on then," Jordan said.
Hedges was arrested on March 21, according to court documents, and faces three felony charges: one count of criminal sexual penetration in the first degree, which is a class 1 felony, and two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor in the second-degree, which is a class 2 felony.
The sheriff's office said the arrest happened at Taos Ski Valley.
The attorney said he is extremely concerned that there may be more victims, as Hedges worked alongside children for more than 20 years. He said it is "unlikely that this is an isolated event."
"We believe this put him in a position where he was able to not only groom the child over a couple of years, but also groom the environment," Jordan said. "... We're really worried that there are other kids out there who are either too scared or embarrassed to come forward, and really, we want them to know that it's important that they do."
Jordan said the whole experience has been traumatic and challenging for the child and his family, and they are coping with it the best they can.
He noted that he felt it was odd for kids from Summit County to travel to Taos for a competition when there are so many mountains within the county.
Jordan said he is calling upon local and federal law enforcement to initiate an investigation into both this case, and any possible prior incidents.
Team Summit Colorado has been certified by U.S. Ski & Snowboard as a "gold" local ski club since 2019, the attorney said. It is considered one of the best programs to feed into U.S. Ski and Snowboard. U.S. Ski and Snowboard did not employ Hedges.
Jordan said he has not yet personally spoken with any of U.S. Ski and Snowboard representatives, but the victim's family did submit a formal complaint to U.S. SafeSport.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard told Denver7 that Team Summit "reported its coach’s arrest to U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the U.S. Center for SafeSport. As soon as U.S. Ski & Snowboard was notified, his membership was immediately suspended."
In a statement published online on March 27, Team Summit Colorado Executive Director CB Bechtel wrote that the nature of the allegation is "shocking and horrifying," and said Team Summit was responding with "the utmost seriousness and urgency."
Hedges is no longer employed by Team Summit.
"We have been in regular contact since the weekend with the family of the athlete and the other team members who were traveling to the competition," Bechtel wrote in the letter. "We have also made access to a professional therapist available to any of our athletes, team families, or staff members. It is important to know that we take the well-being of all our athletes incredibly seriously. All Team Summit coaches undergo thorough background checks as a condition of their employment and complete mandatory SafeSport training before working with athletes. In addition, bi-annual background checks are performed on each coach, and they are required to participate in an annual SafeSport refresher course."
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.