Anthony Ribaudo, Former Fountain-Ft. Carson High School Teacher, Charged With Sexual Assault On A Child

Anthony Ribaudo, 36, a former high school teacher and coach at Fountain-Fort Carson High School that admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old female student, has been charged with sexual assault on a child, 7News reports. Ribaudo faces one count of a pattern of sexual assault on a child by a person of trust and two counts counts of sexual assault on a child by a person of trust.

Ribaudo was arrested in June after high school officials became suspicious that he was having an inappropriate relationship with a student, according to The Denver Post. The felony sexual assault occurred in May when Ribaudo was still a coach for the high school’s varsity basketball team.

KRDO reported that Ribaudo admitted to police that his sexual relationship with the underage girl began when he started to have marital problems.

KKTV reports that the girl told investigators that she had sex with Ribaudo twice. The first occasion was on May 14 in the training room at Fountain-Fort Carson High School, during a basketball tournament on campus. The second time occurred when Ribaudo picked the girl up from her own home and took her to his brother’s house.

The 17-year-old girl’s mother discovered the relationship her daughter was having with Ribaudo when she discovered 1,500 text messages between the pair on her daughter’s phone, many of which were explicit and about the two having sex, according to the Gazette. Ribaudo claimed in court that he never forced the girl to have sex with him and the arrest affadavit confirmed that when the girl said their relationship was consensual and that “she knew what she was doing.”

Comments

[Okey Umez]

06:51 PM on 10/08/2011

1500 text messages?. No excuse for the behaviour, but that's a ton of booty calling.

[eastport111]

02:48 AM on 10/08/2011

Another disgusting story about a teacher involved with a student.
His marital problems are no excuse,actually nothing is,for his behavior.
As far as I am concerned he should be in jail for at least twenty years as punishment.
The parents of the girl are not altogether innocent either,they have raised a tramp and should have paid more attention to what she was doing,just my opinion.

[NYCFinest]

12:20 AM on 10/26/2011

Yes you and all other's are entitled to their opinion however it does not make it facts. I personally know this fam & the parents are not the type of parents who were slack in raising their daughter. She did not hang out all night long, dress inappropriately, party, etc. Parents can do their best to watch over there children but they can't be everywhere all the time. Ppl do work in this day & age. Just because a child makes bad choices does not make it the parents fault, nor does it mean that they were not raised with moral's. It's ridiculous to think otherwise. If you knew this family you would not have made such a negative comment. People really need to stop forming opinions about ppl they don't even know. If a child goes out & kills someone it does not mean they were not raised right, instead it could very well be that they decided to make a bad choice. Children are not always a reflection of how they were raised. Ppl are so quick to pass judgement, as if they have never done anything wrong. To call someone a tramp is pretty harsh when you don't even know them. Spewing such venom about other's is just mean & hateful. When ppl like you make comments like you have posted believe it or not they hurt. This family is like fam to me & they don't deserve your's or other's hateful words.It could be your child.

[ddbdox]

06:31 PM on 10/07/2011

if she knew what she was doing , then it is her fault as well

[AudreyLee]

06:09 PM on 10/07/2011

I'm the same age as her. She knew what she was doing. He was in the wrong and should definitely be prosecuted, but I, for one, think she's a h0.

[NYCFinest]

12:22 AM on 10/26/2011

Be careful of the words you speak about others. It's not nice to call someone out of there name just because you feel that you can. Words hurt and if you have never made a bad choice in life, live long enough and trust me you will. When you do I hope no one reacts to your bad choice as you have done about this young lady.

[AudreyLee]

09:22 PM on 10/26/2011

I absolutely have made several awful choices and I have been judged beyond belief for it. That being said, I stand by my comment fully and I do not take it back.

[gdzilla2]

03:59 PM on 10/07/2011

If he is found guilty, hang him.

[cornell0673]

04:33 PM on 10/07/2011

just like the women who are having sex with students the same age

[jm26dream]

03:47 PM on 10/07/2011

Too bad it wasn't a female teacher sleeping with a male student, because in that case it's okay. But not in this case.

[eastport111]

02:49 AM on 10/08/2011

to jm26dream,
It is not okay in either case. It is wrong,disgusting and he should be punished.

[fenario62]

03:27 PM on 10/07/2011

17 is considered to be the age of consent in most states. Younger in some states 18 in others. The trouble with the "position of trust or authority" provisions of most state laws is the State dosen't have to prove the trust or authority vitiated the otherwize legal consent of the individual. This has led to some very unjust results. There is one case in which a 22 year old female teacher was seduced by a very mature 17 year old foot ball player student and faced mandatory penitentiary as well as a life time of reporting as a sex offender.

[gdzilla2]

04:01 PM on 10/07/2011

What is your point? If a teacher of either sex has sex with one of his or her students there is absolutely no excuse. At 23 I was married with 2 children and no 17 year old CHILD could have seduced me. There can and should not ever be legal consent between a teacher and student. Period.

[gdzilla2]

04:39 PM on 10/07/2011

can't not can...long day lol

[eastport111]

02:50 AM on 10/08/2011

to gdzilla2,
I agree.

[msd7733]

03:24 PM on 10/07/2011

Teachers know the rule when they take the job, no excuse.

[rbblum]

03:20 PM on 10/07/2011

Had Mr Ribaudo been African-American with the Beaumont Independent School District, loss of a job would not be an issue . . . The tract record of Beaumont Independent School District speaks for itself.

[kenoshaguy2]

02:47 PM on 10/07/2011

Just because "she knew what she was doing", doesn't make it right. He is older and should know the difference between right and wrong. Yes 17 year old girls act and look mature, but she is still a child. Now wonder his marriage was failing.

[Kat Demary]

02:38 PM on 10/07/2011

Awww...poor baby having marital problems so he seeks out a 17 year old? I have to wonder if she was his only victim. I applaud the school district for firing him! Those of us who watch Dateline's "To Catch A Predator" have seen teachers, a principal, a doctor, cops, a Rabbi, and two convicted & registered child molesters, who, when cornered by Chris Hansen stated they were, "Only coming over to say hi" or "Just coming to hang out". One man brought his 5 year old son along with him and another brought rope & duct tape after asking the girl if he could tie her up. In law enforcement those "toys" are seen as possible "Rape Kits" or even "Murder Kits". In my own experiment I set myself up as a 14 year old girl home alone to chat in an adult chat room. In most cases, with NO prompting from me, it took men about 10-15 minutes to begin asking what I was wearing, what size bra I wore, and even if I was still a virgin. I would have given anything to have been a fly on their walls when I typed, "YOU'VE JUST BEEN HAD BY A RETIRED COP! I've printed out the entire chat and will be turning it over to law enforcement. Have a Nice Day!" KUDOS to NBC, Dateline, Chris Hansen, Perverted Justice and all the law enforcement agencies who busted these monsters and saved some teens' innocence.

[badman5150]

01:56 PM on 10/07/2011

He'll get 20 years, but if the genders were reversed, the (female) teacher would have gotten probation or supervision and a lifetime TV movie.

[eastport111]

02:52 AM on 10/08/2011

to badman5150,
In my opinion teachers of either sex involved with students deserve equal punishment.

[badman5150]

02:55 PM on 10/08/2011

Agreed!

[xkglady]

01:48 PM on 10/07/2011

The young female teens seeming are mature for their own good, and have crushes on older men, this is seemingly normal, as some teenage boys are still goofing off and this turns the girls off.
However, it's understandable for a teen of 14-16 to date a person from 16-21, that is in the age group and yes, the person over 18 can be arrested for molestation or rape of their partner if the parents pursue this to keep their child from dating.

[undaunted8]

01:42 PM on 10/07/2011

Do you even remember the time when this would shock you?.......

[Kat Demary]

02:40 PM on 10/07/2011

Sad, but true...

[xkglady]

01:36 PM on 10/07/2011

In reverse of Mary Jo and Billy Fallao, teacher/student, she was married, had children, and when released from jail, married this young man, having a family with him! Most certainly something wrong with teachers that feel it's alright to coerce their students into an immoral situation. Why not allow these young people to find true love, make their own mistakes and enjoy their life? When adults are preying on young adolescents, there is definitely something wrong mentally and emotionally with the adult preying on them, as they can control them to feel empowered.

[eastport111]

02:54 AM on 10/08/2011

to xkglady,
Which is why they belong in jail for at least twenty years,just my opinion.