Affidavit: Glenwood Springs school resource officer arrested
Warning: This article contains depictions of domestic violence and sexual assault.
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (KREX) — WesternSlopeNow has obtained the affidavit for the Glenwood Springs school resource officer arrested Thursday in Garfield County. The following is a timeline of the events leading to Officer Sean Tatro’s arrest.
October 2023
The victim and Tatro spoke for the first time at the high school homecoming dance. Tatro told the victim she looked like she was around 24 years old, and she told him she was 19. He asked when she was going to buy him a drink; after she told him she was underage, he stated, “I know people.”
He gave the victim his phone number, telling her to “not let it waste space in her phone.”
After the dance, the two coordinated to meet at a local Park and Ride. Tatro arrived in his unmarked Glenwood Springs Police Department (GWPD) vehicle and asked her for a hug. The victim got out of the car and Tatro kissed her. They then had sex in the back of Tatro’s vehicle and talked for a couple of hours before the victim had to leave to pick up her cousin.
Nov. 22, 2023
After spending more time together throughout the month, Tatro invites the victim to his house in Garfield County.
The victim noticed picture frames were turned face-down and other things that made her suspect Tatro was still married.
Tatro provided the victim with alcoholic beverages and marijuana, taking a large hit from a bong and blowing the smoke into her mouth while she thought he was kissing her. The victim was too intoxicated to drive home after visiting Tatro like she’d planned to, leaving his house and returning to her home the next morning.
Nov. 23, 2023
Officer Morrison with the Silt Police Department (SPD) learns from the victim that she’d recently begun dating Sean Tatro. She also tells Officer Morrison that she’d been to his house and he wanted to take her on a cruise.
Morrison advised the victim that dating Tatro was a bad idea since he was married.
Jan. 12-14
Tatro takes the victim on a trip to Moab, Utah for her birthday, stopping at a liquor store in Silt before they arrive at an Airbnb the night of Jan. 12.
On Jan. 13, Tatro took the victim to a birthday dinner, during which her friend called her and texted her multiple times. After dinner, Tatro started drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before going to bed.
On Jan. 14, the victim’s friend called her and Tatro answered the phone. Tatro was yelling at the friend on the phone and shaking; the victim stated he looked like he was going to punch something.
When the victim tried to calm down Tatro, he grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. The victim stated she was scared Tatro was going to do something else to her and went to the bedroom to calm down.
Tatro entered the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed staring at the victim blankly with a scowl, which she told him was scaring her.
During their stay in Moab, Tatro became aggressive and began slapping the victim, pulling her hair and choking her. When the victim said she didn’t know what to do or what was going on, Tatro told her to relax and that it would make the sex better.
Feb. 16-18
Tatro and the victim go to an Airbnb in Cedaredge, stopping at a liquor store in Parachute on the way. When they arrived, they began drinking and smoking.
Tatro set up his PlayStation so he and the victim could play video games with his friend. Tatro fell asleep early and the victim unlocked his phone to find messages from Tatro’s friend to coordinate when they would start playing. When she did so, she found texts Tatro sent to his wife that were identical to messages she’d received from him.
The victim became upset, packed her bags and started to drive away before stopping because she felt guilty leaving Tatro at the Airbnb. She returned and confronted Tatro by saying, “You send me the same things you send your wife.”
Tatro began yelling at her, saying “You’re the f—— crazy one, you’re the reason my life is ruined,” and telling her she was ruining a 33-year-old life. He grabbed her by her shoulder and shook her, telling her she was the problem and was creating the problems in his life.
The victim tried to calm Tatro down while he was pacing and threatening suicide, but he continued yelling. The victim started to leave and Tatro threw his phone toward the victim next to her thigh, shattering the front and back of his phone on the ground.
March 8-10
Tatro and the victim go to an Airbnb in Montrose. The two drank alcohol, smoked marijuana and had “a lot of sex” after they arrived.
Tatro and the victim started to play-fight before the victim got scared and told Tatro to stop. He continued to fight with her and pull her hair. The victim scratched Tatro to get him to stop because he was starting to hurt her.
Tatro got up, left the room and came back with a wooden spoon which he used to hit the victim’s thigh. The victim took a video or picture of Tatro after he hit her because she was afraid he was going to hit her more and she wanted proof. She also took a photo of the bruise.
March 22-24
Tatro stays in his estranged wife’s house to watch the dogs and invites the victim over. The victim asks Tatro about his wife and he “got strange” about the questions. Tatro and the victim both got drunk and went to bed.
On March 23, the victim woke up and found Tatro drinking. Around 1 p.m. the same day, Tatro became angry with the victim because she was texting her friend while he was playing video games.
Tatro states, “If you ever hurt me again, I will kill you.” The victim responds, “You’re funny, good joke.”
Tatro left the kitchen to go to his room and the victim followed him. Tatro came out of the bedroom with his taser in hand and said, “No, I’m not playing.” Tatro then grabbed the victim’s arm and tased her left thigh, causing her to fall to the floor. The victim, while holding her leg, told Tatro it hurt and he put his taser away.
March 30
While staying at his new apartment, Tatro slaps the victim in the face, telling her he’s going to show her how to slap Krav Maga style the way he was trained for work.
Tatro slapped the victim on the upper cheek with his lower palm; the victim stated that it hurt very badly, but brushed it off because she didn’t want to make Tatro mad.
Tatro’s slaps left a bruise on the victim’s upper cheek. Afterward, Tatro sent a photo to the victim’s mother, telling her the victim was bruising easily due to medical treatment she’d received in Denver the week before.
April 4
Tatro and the victim go to a liquor store, buying two 40-ounce drinks and multiple small shooters of different alcohol.
When they got back to his apartment, they began drinking. Tatro began slapping the victim, continuing to drink.
The affidavit states Tatro then sexually assaulted the victim, becoming angry when she repeatedly tried to pull away and ignoring her when she told him she was in pain. The victim was extremely intoxicated and unable to fully understand what was happening.
April 5
While off-duty in Rifle, Lieutenant Gronbeck with SPD observed Sean Tatro driving recklessly in the Anytime Fitness parking lot.
Tatro was driving recklessly in an unmarked GWPD vehicle and circling the victim who was attempting to walk away. He was driving quickly towards her and swerving away just before he came close to hitting her.
Tatro drove around the parking lot several times, cutting between vehicles and through handicap signposts so quickly that Gronbeck was surprised there wasn’t a collision.
Gronbeck assumed the female was Tatro’s daughter and didn’t approach, thinking it was a father-daughter dispute. Gronbeck stated he later realized Tatro was driving recklessly to intimidate the victim.
April 8
Tatro met with the victim at Deerfield Park in Rifle. She stated she could smell alcohol on him. The two left the park in one vehicle and Tatro was drinking while they were driving to the Flat Tops. It is not known who was driving.
Tatro told the victim their relationship was over and moved to the backseat of the car. The victim followed suit, thinking he wanted to talk. Instead, Tatro initiated sex.
Tatro put both of his hands around the victim’s neck and told her to hold her breath, telling her “I want to make you pass out.”
She was unable to speak because of how tightly Tatro was squeezing her neck and while she was gasping for air, she pulled at his hands to try to get him to stop. Tatro did not stop or let go of her until he was finished.
April 19
Officer Morrison receives a call from the victim who tells him she broke up with Tatro due to his abuse. The victim stated she planned on reporting the abuse but was afraid nobody would believe her.
She also tells Morrison she’d smoked a significant amount of marijuana with Tatro, adding that Tatro told her “she better not report him because he has his way of passing drug tests.” Tatro also told the victim that because he was a cop, nobody would believe her if she reported any abuse or marijuana use.
April 25
Tatro was arrested on the following charges:
Felony menacing
Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (18-21)
Use of a stun gun
Second-degree assault (strangulation)
Sex assault
Reckless endangerment
Harassment
Third-degree assault
Domestic violence
Tatro is currently on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
WesternSlopeNow is following this case and will continue to update you with the latest.
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