LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A former youth pastor in Fort Collins has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting children over three decades.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said Hipolito Gomez-Perdomo, 65, of Fort Collins, was arrested in March on charges of five counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and one count of sexual assault on a child. Both are felonies. The sheriff's office said additional charges are pending and they are concerned that there may be other victims.
His arrest came in the wake of a lengthy investigation.
The sheriff's office said it received a report of sexual assault involving Gomez-Perdomo in early 2023. A teenage girl reported an assault that happened in the early 2000s, when she was a young child. She told investigators that she did not report it at the time out of fear, but then learned from other teens who had similar experiences with Gomez-Perdomo, the sheriff's office said.
With this new information, investigators began digging around. Amid their search, they found a 2019 report of sexual assault involving Gomez-Perdomo from a different victim. However, the district attorney's office did not file charges at that time. Investigators then reopened that case.
After the 2019 allegations, Gomez-Perdomo, who had been working as a youth pastor at Vida Abundante church in north Fort Collins, left the congregation.
While the new investigation was underway, another victim came forward, and described similar experiences in the late 1990s, when she was a child. She remembered meeting Gomez-Perdomo with her family through church, the sheriff's office said. He became a family friend afterward. He then sexually assaulted her, she said.
Following Gomez-Perdomo's arrest in March, he was booked into the Larimer County Jail and issued a $200,000 cash surety bond.
Before he lived in Fort Collins, he stayed in Fort Morgan and Houston, Texas.
“Sexual assault inflicts serious physical and mental harm on victims. It can be difficult to come forward, especially if the perpetrator is in a position of trust,” said Sheriff John Feyen. “I’m grateful for the courageous young women who spoke up in this case. Their voices matter. At LCSO, we believe survivors deserve to be heard and supported.”
Anybody with information about this suspect should contact Investigator Travis Fischer at 970-498-5585. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868 or www.stopcriminals.org.
