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CIRCLEVILLE, Piute County — A corrections sergeant in Colorado is facing criminal charges in Utah accusing him of sexually abusing a teenage girl in a small Utah town about a year ago.
Kevin Aaron Young, 29, of Pueblo, Colorado, was charged Thursday in 6th District Court in Piute County with rape and five counts of object rape, first-degree felonies; and two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
Young showed up unexpectedly at a friend's home in Circleville in July of 2023, the same weekend a teenage girl was visiting a residence. Over three days, Young sexually abused or inappropriately touched the teen when he believed no one else was looking, according to charging documents.
After Young returned to Colorado, a younger girl in the home who witnessed some of the abuse told her mother "Kevin is not a very good person, and explained to her mom what had taken place over the weekend," the charges state.
When police contacted the teen girl, who lives in another state, she initially said she "does not believe anything will happen to Kevin because he is in law enforcement."
Investigators arranged in August 2023 to have the girl interviewed for a formal statement. She revealed at that time she had the underwear she was wearing during one of the sexual assaults and had not washed them, charging documents state. The clothing was delivered to the Utah State Crime Lab in November 2023.
The girl also revealed in a follow-up statement that Young contacted her on Instagram several years earlier when she was 14.
"He would comment on her Instagram photos and ask if she had a boyfriend. He would tell her that she was beautiful and wanted to send her money. Kevin also told her that he and his wife were in an open relationship," according to the charges, which also allege Young sent the girl sexually explicit messages and pictures.
Utah investigators traveled to Colorado on July 30 to collect Young's saliva sample and question him.
"Among other questions and answers, I asked Mr. Young if there was any possibility that his DNA could be involved in my investigation of sexual assault of a minor, involving (a) 17-year-old (girl), and he said, in sum and substance, that there is no possibility of his DNA being present," the charges state.
On Aug. 19, however, the crime lab concluded after comparing Young's saliva to DNA collected from the underwear "there is a DNA match — very strong support," according to the charges.
A spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Corrections stated Friday that Young is currently on administrative leave, but declined to provide additional details due to the pending investigation.
