Loveland police arrested a Colorado State Patrol trooper this week after a report of a sexual assault that allegedly took place in 2024. Investigators say 34-year-old Jeremiah Jon Patterson was taken into custody on June 19 and booked into the Larimer County Jail on suspicion of sexual assault, described as "strongarm by force," and second-degree assault for strangulation. Detectives said Patterson and the reported victim knew each other and that the alleged assaults happened while he was off duty. According to Loveland police, officers used automated license-plate-reader cameras to locate his vehicle, then carried out a high-risk traffic stop to make the arrest.
According to CBS Colorado, the department received the complaint on June 15 and moved quickly after receiving information that Patterson might be traveling to Loveland to look for the victim. "I truly commend the tremendous courage of the victim to come forward and disclose this nearly two-year-old sexual assault allegation," Loveland Police Chief Tim Doran said in a written statement, as quoted by CBS Colorado. The department says it is working with the District Attorney's office while investigators continue to gather evidence and ask anyone with information to come forward.
How Officers Tracked Him Down
Investigators credited automated license-plate readers with helping them quickly narrow Patterson's movements and find his vehicle before the stop. The company behind many of those systems says they generate searchable time-and-location data that can connect vehicles to reported incidents and help build cases on a tighter timeline. Law enforcement officials say tools like these let analysts reconstruct a vehicle's path without relying only on witness tips or broad, time-consuming canvassing.
Charges, Custody And Employment
Patterson was booked into the Larimer County Jail after an interview and his arrest, and investigators listed the counts as sexual assault, strong-arm by force, and second-degree assault-strangulation. Public payroll records list a Jeremiah Jon Patterson as a state patrol trooper, supporting authorities' identification of him as a Colorado State Patrol employee. The charges remain allegations, and Patterson is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty in court as the investigation and any charging decisions move ahead.
Local Context And What Comes Next
The arrest lands at a time when the area is already on edge about allegations of abuse by officers, after the U.S. Department of Justice announced earlier this year that a former Loveland officer had been sentenced in a separate sexual-assault case, putting added scrutiny on local agencies. Loveland police asked anyone with information related to the current case to call the department’s investigative tip line at (970) 962-2032 or Larimer County Crime Stoppers at (970) 221-6868. The District Attorney's office will review the investigation and determine the next legal steps, and no court dates have been publicly posted yet.
