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    • Former Northern Colorado deputy district attorney sexually abused teenage intern in 1990s
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    Former Northern Colorado deputy district attorney sexually abused teenage intern in 1990s

    Online Niel Posted on

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    Editor’s note: This story refers to sexual crimes against children. Resources have been included.

    A former chief deputy district attorney for the 8th Judicial District will have to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a Poudre School District student who interned in the office in the late 1990s.

    Daniel Quinn, now 71, pleaded guilty to nonconsensual sexual contact, a Class 1 misdemeanor, in September. As part of the plea agreement, two felony counts of sexual assault were dismissed.

    The parties agreed to a four-year deferred sentence, during which he will be in the intensive sex offender probation program. A deferred sentence means that if Quinn complies with all conditions set by the judge at sentencing, this case could be expunged from his criminal record. He also will be required to register as a sex offender and complete at least one year of treatment as part of his sentence, according to the plea agreement.

    Quinn’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Monday.

    Quinn was arrested in October 2023, six months after a woman came forward to Fort Collins police reporting that Quinn sexually abused her while working at the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office from October 1998 to November 1999, when he was 16 and 17 years old.

    “I went to counseling and I realized what happened was not right,” she said in an interview with the Coloradoan. “I’ve been sexually groomed at a pretty high level for a long time.”

    The Coloradoan does not typically name victims of sexual abuse. This victim asked that her name not be used.

    The woman started working in the Prosecutor’s Office of the 8th Judicial District in October 1998, filing documents and making copies. She was hired at the office through a Poudre School District program called PACE (Professional and Community Program).

    She said she was “thrilled” to land her dream job at the DA’s office because her dream was to become a lawyer, “so I was excited to get that attention from a deputy chief prosecutor.”

    “(The victim) reported a steady progression of behavior that, as an adult, she admitted to caring about,” according to Quinn’s affidavit.

    Their inappropriate relationship began when Quinn asked her to lunch. As it progressed, the two would meet near Horsetooth Reservoir and go for a ride in Quinn’s Jeep, according to arrest documents. Quinn would also tell her she’s beautiful.

    “Looking back, I thought I was someone he loved,” she said.

    Some employees in the DA’s office noticed their inappropriate relationship and confronted Quinn, according to arrest documents. The woman said she also told another attorney that Quinn’s behavior made her uncomfortable. These employees confronted Quinn about his behavior, but nothing changed.

    “I work in the DA’s office, so if nobody does anything about it, is it wrong?” she said. “I probably work in the most secure office in Northern Colorado. So this has messed with my psyche for 17 years.”

    Because of the attention they were getting in the office, Quinn and the victim began seeing each other more outside of the office, according to arrest documents.

    When Quinn spoke to Fort Collins police during their investigation last year, he told them he and the victim had developed a relationship and a friendship, but he said, “We definitely shouldn’t have been kissing on the ladder. It shouldn’t have happened,” referring to the stairs in their office building.

    Quinn described to investigators the first time they kissed as “a wonderful, exciting, scary moment” and acknowledged that the victim did not have the emotional maturity to make decisions about the physical aspect of their relationship, according to arrest documents. Quinn admitted to additional instances of sexual contact before the victim turned 18, which the victim also described to police.

    The woman said she told a friend about her relationship with Quinn, who then told the PACE office, which reported it to the DA’s office. She said the school district also obtained emails between her and Quinn from her school email account discussing their relationship, which they shared with the district attorney’s office.

    Quinn was confronted about their relationship and allowed to resign, according to arrest documents. The victim said she was told she could no longer work at the office and that she needed to find a new job.

    “The DA’s office had all this information and they let Dan resign and they didn’t report him to the police and they didn’t report him to the Bar,” she said.

    Quinn maintains a private law practice in Fort Collins, although the state lists his license as inactive as of Nov. 15.

    The woman also filed a civil lawsuit against Larimer County in the case and received a $300,000 settlement in March 2023, according to court documents. As part of that settlement, the county agreed to rename a victim waiting room in the district attorney’s office previously named for former DA Stu Van Meveren, who was the elected district attorney who let Quinn resign when he learned of the abuse in this case. .

    The room was named for him “because of all the good things he did for the victims,” ​​the woman said, “and it didn’t feel right because he didn’t support the victims.”

    The woman told The Coloradoan that going through this criminal record was “horrible” and “dehumanizing, and that she has suffered a lot of victim shaming since reporting the abuse.

    “It’s really hard to come out because all of a sudden they’re trying to flip the script like I wanted what’s going on,” she said. “It’s not true. I couldn’t give it to myself. I didn’t have the ability at that age to understand what was happening to me.”

    Despite how difficult it has been, she hopes that by telling her story, she can get other victims to report their abusers.

    “It’s a difficult process, but knowing that they’re being held accountable and that their secret is being shared publicly is important,” she said.

    The victim said that while she is confident in the prosecution of the case, she feels Quinn’s plea and any sentence he receives is a “slap on the wrist,” but there is no punishment she feels fits the crime.

    “I think it will give some closure, but I will always have a part of me that will never forget what happened,” she said. “I’d rather just get my life back.”

    Resources for victims of sexual abuse

    SAVA Center provides crisis intervention, advocacy and counseling for those affected by sexual abuse in Northern Colorado, as well as prevention programs through community outreach and education.

    • Fort Collins location: 970-472-4204
    • Loveland location: 970-775-2962
    • savacenter.org

    Safe for children supports child and adult victims of childhood abuse and provides support to non-offending family members of those victims.

    Crawford Center for Child Advocacy works to prevent child abuse by providing services to help caseworkers and investigators stop perpetrators, protect victims and support survivors and their families.

    Estes Valley Crisis Lawyers offers a variety of free and confidential services to survivors of crime and trauma.

    SummitStone Health Partners provides counseling for psychological, emotional and behavioral problems; victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse; and drug and alcohol problems. Provides individual, group and family therapy.

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