Colorado Springs police and the FBI arrested a Colorado Springs School District 11 teacher on Wednesday, accusing him of sending explicit messages to a juvenile in another state. The teacher, identified in most reports as Nicholas Madson, taught at CIVA Charter High School and now faces a felony charge out of Florida tied to the alleged online exchange.
According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, the case began Sept. 9, when a joint investigation by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and the Colorado Springs Police Department opened after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That tip concerned an adult male in Colorado communicating with a child in Florida, the Gazette reported.
A Sarasota County Sheriff's Office detective identified the victim, who then gave Florida deputies identifiable information about the suspect, per the Gazette's account. KRDO, KKTV and KOAA reported that the child had sent explicit videos and photos to Madson. CSPD detectives used that victim-provided information to identify the suspect as Nicholas Madson, 46, a teacher at CIVA Charter High School, the same report states.
Felony Charge Filed in Florida, Colorado Case Still Open
Madson currently faces one charge in Florida of soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using computer services, the Gazette reported. Under the statute cited by investigators, Florida law makes it a third-degree felony to knowingly use an online, internet or local bulletin-board service to seduce, solicit, lure or entice a child, or someone believed to be a child, into illegal sexual conduct, according to the Florida Senate.
No Colorado charges have been filed against Madson at this point. Police told the Gazette he could face charges in Colorado if additional evidence is found, and the investigation remains ongoing. KRDO similarly reported that CSPD said criminal charges from Colorado could come depending on what additional evidence turns up, and that follow-up investigations are continuing to recover it.
School Confirms Employment, Places Teacher on Leave
CIVA Charter High School confirmed that Madson had been employed there since 2019, according to KKTV, which reported the school placed him on leave following the arrest. KOAA also reported the school's statement that Madson had been employed there since 2019 and was placed on leave, alongside details of the felony charge and the arrest itself.
News outlets have not agreed on basic identifying details in the case. KKTV reported that police arrested a 41-year-old man and referred to him as Nicklaus Madson, while the Gazette and KRDO both identified the suspect as 46-year-old Nicholas Madson. The reports differ on the suspect's age and spelling.
Fugitive-Status Hearing Set, Suspect Presumed Innocent
Madson was scheduled to appear before an El Paso County judge Friday morning to review his fugitive status, the Gazette reported. As is standard practice, KOAA noted that Madson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Cases involving teachers accused of online solicitation of minors have surfaced in other states recently. In Alabama, a Huntsville City Schools teacher was reported to be on leave after an arrest on an electronic solicitation-of-a-child charge, according to WHNT. That case is separate from the Colorado Springs investigation and involves different jurisdictions and facts.
