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Grand Junction high school tutor charged in sexual assault www.privateofficer.com
According to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, Adam Clayton Ross, 27, of Grand Junction, was arrested on Thursday and is being charged with sexual assault on a child.
The warrant for his arrest says that Ross met the 14 year old girl on MySpace and became aware that she was attending the Grande River Virtual Academy.
He then showed up at her door with fake credentials, claiming he was a tutor. Her parents allowed Ross to meet with the girl on three occasions for tutoring sessions.
Between the second and third session, Ross contacted the girl and coaxed her to sneak out of her house late one night. He then met her at an abandoned trailer on C 1/2 Road where he sexually assaulted her.
“The fact that this guy just sort of showed up cold should be a red flag. Unfortunately for these parents, they were very trusting and thinking they were doing the right thing. Quickly, though, they figured out that something wasn’t right. They then didn’t let him in their home anymore and were able to call law enforcement,” said Heather Benjamin of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.
School District 51, which runs the Grande River Virtual Academy, sent out a letter to parents saying, “We take the safety of our families very seriously and would never at any time, send anyone unannounced to any home.”
The girl’s parents became suspicious of the man after she requested an end to the tutoring sessions. They checked her phone and e-mail records and discovered a romantic link between the two.
Ross has a history of run-ins with the law, including twenty one arrests and one felony conviction. He is currently being held on a $250,000 bond.
