Jon Michael Beber, 54, was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault of a child by a person in a position of trust on Monday.
Two of the charges included victims younger than 15 years old and there was a pattern of assault. The third charge included a victim between the age of 15 and 18 years old.
Just over a year ago, Beber pleaded not guilty to the charges and had his trial date set for November 6th, 2023. In November, the trial was then rescheduled for April. He was arrested in July 2022 and at the time was working as CFO of a restaurant in Georgia.
Beber had been free on a $30,000 bond. He is now to remain in custody without bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 19th for sentencing.
“This defendant sexually abused swimmers whom he coached,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a press release. “Despite the passage of time, and because of the courage and strength of the victims, the defendant is being held responsible for the abuse and trauma he inflicted upon them. Our office was honored to fight for justice for these victims. We appreciate the service and hard work of the jurors.”
Beber was a swimming coach for Boulder Swimming from 1997-2002. In 2002, he was confronted over the allegations and then resigned.
One of the victims told police that Beber would perform massages and touch her in inappropriate places during those massages. The same swimmer said that on a trip, Beber came to her hotel room and tried to teach her to masturbate while he viewed her doing so from another room.
Another victim told police that Beber took her out of the water during practice one day and said that he wanted to have sex with her. Later that day, the victim said Beber raped her.
The third victim told police that when she was 16 and 17 she would regularly go to Beber’s apartment to have sex with him.
Ridiculous that it takes 20+ years for a conviction, but very happy there is a guilty verdict. Hoping the girls may continue to heal and enjoy a beautiful life that was intended for them.
He was arrested in 2022 so it took less than two years for a conviction. It may be that the victims didn’t come forward until recently.
This is correct. Two of the incidents were brought to light in 2002 and he resigned when confronted by parents. They chose not to report law enforcement at the time. Updates to Colorado’s statute of limitations allowed for criminal charges to be pursued in 2022.
I am in awe of the strength and resolve of the women (both the victims and MANY witnesses who testified to an environment that was eerily similar to what is being described in the Lars Jorgensen suit). Re-living that sort of trauma is nothing short of gut-wrenching, and I am so relieved and happy that a just verdict was reached (in less than 2 hours of deliberation).
Here’s to these women getting a… Read more »