A 19-year-old volunteer at a Fountain Valley church is facing a felony charge of sexual assault on a child after Fountain police arrested him last Friday and booked him into the El Paso County jail. Investigators say they are now seeking additional victims or witnesses who may have information connected to the case.
Jeremiah Gaw volunteered at Pikes Peak Christian Church, according to a news release detailed by the Colorado Springs Gazette. Fountain police said an unspecified incident was reported to them before Gaw's arrest on October 16, and he was subsequently booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center, according to KRDO. The jail, located at 2739 East Las Vegas Street in Colorado Springs, serves as El Paso County's primary detention facility and has an adult detention capacity of roughly 1,500 inmates, per the Global Detention Project.
A Church With a Wide Youth Ministry Footprint
Pikes Peak Christian Church sits at 4955 Bradley Road in Colorado Springs and runs a NextGen youth ministry serving kids from infancy through high school, including its KidMin Sunday classes and the Shine ministry for children with special needs. The church describes itself as serving the broader Fountain Valley area, a region that spans Security, Widefield, and Fountain across south El Paso County, according to the church's own materials.
That geographic reach places the congregation at the heart of a community that has recently seen a Widefield custody standoff involving three police agencies and a Security-Widefield armed robbery case. The Gaw investigation comes amid other child-safety cases, including a February 2025 arrest of a 30-year-old on child exploitation charges.
What Colorado Law Says About the Charge
A separate statute, C.R.S. § 18-3-405.3, bases felony classifications on the child’s age or an alleged pattern of abuse, and specifies crime-of-violence sentencing for a class 3 felony based on a pattern, per Landy Criminal Law. Gaw has been booked on suspicion of the charge.
Police Ask Anyone With Information to Come Forward
Fountain police have asked potential victims or witnesses to contact Detective Joe Tirado at 719-382-4264 or by email. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 719-634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477, or reach the Fountain Police Department's own 24-hour anonymous tip line at 719-382-4200.
