A Colorado Department of Corrections officer based in Trinidad is facing nine felony charges after state investigators say a year-long probe uncovered evidence of child sexual abuse material and illegal weapons. Gage Vidal Montoya, 37, was arrested on August 13 following the investigation, which state authorities say began nearly a year earlier.
Montoya was identified by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation as a Trinidad resident and state corrections officer. According to the CBI, he was arrested after an investigation carried out by the state's Internet Crimes Against Children unit. The case is being handled in Las Animas County, as reported by CBS News Colorado.
Montoya faces four class-5 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child, two class-4 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and three class-5 felony counts of possession of a dangerous weapon, per the CBI. The charges stem from violations of Colorado Revised Statutes § 18-6-403 and § 18-12-102. Under § 18-12-102, possession of a dangerous weapon — a category that includes items such as firearm silencers, machine guns, short shotguns, or short rifles — is itself a class-5 felony in Colorado.
How the Investigation Began
The CBI says its probe into Montoya started in September 2025, after the agency received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. NCMEC routes such tips from digital platforms to state and local law enforcement for follow-up. The investigation ran for nearly a year before Montoya's arrest last month.
Court affidavit reporting relayed by local media, cited by Scouts by Yutori, indicates the evidence gathered against Montoya included Kik application messaging logs, cloud files, and Cash App solicitations tied to child sexual abuse material. A Denver Post report cited in that same account detailed the forensic evidence supporting the arrest warrant. Following his arrest in Trinidad, Montoya was booked into local custody and held on a $45,000 bond, according to that reporting.
Department of Corrections Response
Colorado Department of Corrections Executive Director Andre Stancil said Montoya was placed on administrative leave immediately upon his arrest. Stancil added that no evidence suggests any criminal misconduct occurred while Montoya was on duty, according to the CBI. The department's Office of the Inspector General assisted the CBI in making the arrest.
Before his arrest, Montoya had a public profile beyond his corrections job — he ran for Las Animas County Sheriff earlier this year, raising more than $9,200 in campaign donations before dropping out of the Republican primary, according to the Colorado Times Recorder. The outlet reports Montoya had received campaign funds from local legislative leaders before ending his candidacy.
Part of a Wider Pattern in Southern Colorado
Montoya's arrest is not an isolated case in the region. Less than two weeks later, on August 26, the CBI arrested another southeast Colorado officer — 37-year-old Springfield Police Officer Dustin Dwayne Martin — on minor solicitation charges. Springfield sits in neighboring Baca County.
Earlier this year, in February, authorities in nearby Pueblo County arrested a Pueblo County Sheriff's deputy following an internal and criminal investigation into child sexual assault and CSAM allegations, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office. That deputy had reportedly been placed on leave in late December 2025 after the allegations first surfaced. Taken together, the cases mark a string of child exploitation arrests involving Colorado law enforcement personnel over the past several months.
It remains unclear whether any of the weapons charges against Montoya relate specifically to his background in law enforcement or corrections work. Court proceedings in Las Animas County District Court, along with any internal administrative review by the Department of Corrections, are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
