A former Palmer Ridge High School wrestling coach is behind bars, accused of sexually assaulting a student he coached, after investigators say they uncovered thousands of text messages between the two and a pattern of behavior that allegedly began on the school's own wrestling mats. Michael Vassar, 37, was booked on suspicion of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, and authorities say the case may not end with just one victim.
Deputies with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office arrested Vassar on September 24 on a warrant tied to a months-long investigation, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. The office said it was first alerted on May 20 to a possible sexual assault involving an adult in a position of trust and a minor, and that detectives ultimately determined Vassar, a former athletic coach at Palmer Ridge High School in Lewis-Palmer School District 38, engaged in inappropriate conduct involving one or more athletes he coached.
According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, the sheriff's office received a tip in May listing three victims, and an arrest affidavit accuses Vassar of repeatedly and inappropriately touching a student. The Gazette reports Vassar is accused of touching at least one student-athlete repeatedly on the school's wrestling mats and of staying with team students in their hotel rooms during a tournament. Court documents cited by the paper say Vassar moved his hand away from a student when someone entered the wrestling mat room.
Prosecutors Describe a Pattern of Control
Prosecutors say Vassar gave a student gifts without her asking and controlled whom she interacted with, per the Gazette's review of the case. The paper also reports that, per prosecutors, Vassar took a student to his private residence, where he operated his personal training business. When the student questioned his touching, court documents say he asked why she was making things “weird.”
Investigators separately found more than 6,000 text messages between Vassar and a Palmer Ridge student victim, exchanged during the 2025-26 school year, according to KRDO. The Gazette reports some of those messages were inappropriate in nature, and that investigators believe, per court documents, that the messages reflect a pattern of sexual abuse committed by Vassar.
Coaching Tenure Ended Before Allegations Surfaced
Vassar served as the boys and girls head wrestling coach at Palmer Ridge High School from December 1, 2025, through May 12, 2026, according to KRDO's reporting on district timelines. He resigned before staff learned of the allegations involving a student-athlete, the Gazette reports, and Lewis-Palmer School District 38 has said administrators investigated the incident thoroughly and reported it to the Department of Human Services once they became aware of it.
The sheriff's office said Vassar had also been associated with Crunch Fitness at 1801 South Academy Boulevard and Unbreakable Ministries Gym at 124 Delaware Drive, and had offered personal training services online. Detectives believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with relevant information to contact the sheriff's office tip line at 719-520-7777.
Bond Status and Court Date Unclear
Accounts of Vassar's custody status diverge. The sheriff's office said he was being held while his bond amount would be determined by state statute following a judicial advisement, but the Gazette reported separately that he was being held inside the El Paso County jail on a no-bond hold. The Gazette also reports Vassar is scheduled to appear before an El Paso County judge for his next hearing on October 1, and that according to Colorado court records, he has no additional criminal cases in El Paso County. The paper further notes that a man with the same name and birthdate pleaded guilty to violating a protection order in Summit County in 2022.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Colorado Schools
The case lands amid a documented rise in sexual misconduct cases tied to Colorado educators. Incidents leading to teachers losing their licenses increased 77% between 2021 and 2025 compared with the prior five-year span, and the number of teachers who lost licenses specifically for sexual offenses rose from 29 between 2016 and 2020 to 45 between 2021 and 2025, according to the Canon City Daily Record. License revocations, suspensions and surrenders hit a record 31 in 2022, the paper reported, and sexual offenses have accounted for 44% of all lost teaching licenses statewide over the past 25 years.
Similar allegations have surfaced elsewhere in recent days. In Utah, assistant Payson High School wrestling coach Chayce Gerald Loveless, 28, was booked into the Utah County Jail on suspicion of four counts of enticing a minor and 11 counts of forcible sexual abuse, according to KSL.com. A police affidavit cited by the station says a former student accused Loveless of inappropriately touching him more than 30 times during wrestling practice when the student was 16 or 17, and Payson police said they believed there was a high likelihood of additional victims in that case as well.
Back in El Paso County, the investigation into Vassar remains active and ongoing, the sheriff's office said, as detectives continue working to determine the full scope of the alleged abuse.
