A Castle Rock mother is speaking publicly after her two daughters, ages 10 and 13, reported that a trusted family friend sexually assaulted them, and after a jury convicted that man of two counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of abuse. Brittney Hutkay-Moore says the ordeal stripped her daughters of their sense of safety and trust, even as she describes them as brave for testifying against the man both families once considered family.
Hutkay-Moore trusted her childhood best friend and that friend's husband, Shelby Ward, and their families raised their children together and traveled between Colorado and Idaho, according to CBS News. That closeness is part of what makes the case so painful for Hutkay-Moore, who said her daughters lost a sense of safety and trust and that the crime damaged the family's support network, the outlet reports.
The closeness described in this case reflects a broader pattern: the CDC estimates that about 90% of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone known and trusted by the child or the child’s family. Many children delay telling anyone or never disclose abuse, underscoring why Hutkay-Moore’s account of believing her daughters is part of the wider prevention message. CDC data on child sexual abuse put the family’s experience in a national context.
A Pattern Prosecutors Say Spanned Years and States
Prosecutors say Ward first assaulted one of Hutkay-Moore's daughters while visiting Colorado in 2022, then assaulted her other daughter during another visit in 2023. Investigators say both girls were assaulted during a trip to Idaho in 2024, and the same report notes the girls confided in each other after those Idaho assaults. Prosecutors used the Idaho assaults to help prove a pattern of abuse, per the same account.
Colorado law defines a “pattern of sexual abuse” as two or more incidents of sexual contact involving a child when the same actor commits them against the same victim. That definition helps explain why prosecutors relied on repeated alleged assaults, rather than treating each incident as an unrelated event. The state’s criminal code sets out the definition; the jury’s verdict here, as reported, was on two counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of abuse.
Deputy District Attorney Brynn Chase, who works in the 23rd Judicial District's special victims unit, prosecuted the case and said Ward exploited a position of trust to achieve a pattern of sexual abuse. Hutkay-Moore ultimately reported the alleged crimes, and she said she believed her daughters when they came forward, according to the report.
Prior Conviction Surfaced During the Case
The 33-year-old Idaho man has a history of assaulting children, the outlet's reporting states. Ward had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2015, was convicted of rape of a child in Washington in 2016, and served six months in jail, according to the same account. He was required to register as a sex offender following that conviction.
Hutkay-Moore's daughters testified against Ward, and a jury found him guilty on two counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of abuse. He faces between eight and 48 years in prison, and prosecutors have put a life sentence on the table, meaning his eventual sentence will carry the possibility of life imprisonment. Ward is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15. Idaho authorities may also prosecute Ward separately for the assaults that occurred in that state, the report notes.
A recent Colorado case illustrates the potential reach of sentencing in pattern-of-abuse prosecutions, though its facts and charges differ. In Adams County, a jury convicted former youth pastor Joshua Lucero in May 2026 of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust as part of a pattern of abuse; he was sentenced to 13 years to life. The Adams County District Attorney’s Office announced Lucero’s sentence, offering a local comparison as Ward awaits sentencing.
A Mother's Message to Other Families
Hutkay-Moore said her daughters were brave and strong throughout the process, and she said no child should have to go through this. She wants her daughters' story to inspire other survivors to come forward, urging survivors to report abuse and parents to believe children who disclose troubling experiences.
For Hutkay-Moore, the case remains deeply personal — a reminder that the people closest to a family are not always who they seem, and that believing a child's disclosure can be the first step toward justice.
