Ex-Thompson School District paraprofessional sentenced for sexual exploitation of a child

Sady Swanson, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·3 min read

Editor's note: This story references sexual crimes against children. Resources have been included.

A former Thompson School District paraprofessional was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to charges involving possession of child sexual abuse materials.

Joseph Major, 27, was sentenced to 18 months in Larimer County Community Corrections, 10 years of sex offender-intensive supervised probation and 120 days in jail. Major pleaded guilty last month to sexual exploitation of a child, a Class 5 felony, and misdemeanor child abuse. Other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

The agreement stipulated to a community corrections sentence, which Major’s attorney Christen Nickel said “will provide Mr. Major with the stability he needs.”

Major was arrested in December after investigators say they found multiple images and videos depicting sexual abuse of children, according to a Larimer County Sheriff’s Office news release from the time of his arrest.

Major had worked for the Thompson School District since August 2015 at four different schools, a district spokesperson previously told the Coloradoan. He resigned Nov. 29, the day sheriff’s office investigators executed a search warrant at Major’s home.

Nickel said Major “was pretty disgusted with himself” and not proud of his actions. She said Major has trauma that he hasn’t properly dealt with, but he has expressed a desire to take accountability and better himself, with the support of his family.

“He is in a spot where he is very motivated to do the work,” Nickel said.

Major told the judge he plans to work hard with treatment providers to “be the better version of myself that I should have been before I came in here.”

As part of his sentence, Major will undergo mental health and substance use evaluations and be required to complete any recommended treatments. He will also be barred from subscribing to or accessing the internet or having any contact with children unless approved by probation, and he will have to register as a sex offender, according to the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Deputy District Attorney Leeah Lechuga agreed with Nickel that Major needs the support community corrections and the structure sex offender-intensive supervised probation provides, but she also acknowledged the damage created by these crimes.

“We specifically crafted this resolution to help Mr. Major and help keep the community safer,” Lechuga said.

Major was working at Peakview Academy at Conrad Ball in Loveland, a school serving students from preschool through eighth grade, this fall. His job responsibility was to provide support for social emotional learning, the school district spokesperson said. Major previously worked at Thompson School District's Sarah Milner Elementary School from 2016-2019, Garfield Elementary School from 2019-2020 and Monroe Elementary School from 2021 through spring 2023.

Reporter Kelly Lyell contributed to this report.

Resources for sexual abuse victims

The SAVA Center provides crisis intervention, advocacy and counseling for those affected by sexual abuse in Northern Colorado, as well as prevention programs through community outreach and education.

  • Fort Collins location: 970-472-4204

  • Loveland location: 970-775-2962

  • savacenter.org

ChildSafe supports child and adult victims of childhood abuse and provides support for those victims' non-offending family members.

The Crawford Child Advocacy Center works to prevent child abuse by providing services to help caseworkers and investigators stop perpetrators, protect victims, and support survivors and their families.

Estes Valley Crisis Advocates provides a variety of free and confidential services to survivors of crimes and traumas.

SummitStone Health Partners provides counseling for psychological, emotional and behavioral problems; domestic violence and sexual abuse victims; and drug and alcohol problems. They offer individual, group and family therapy.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Ex-Colorado paraprofessional sentenced for possessing child sex abuse material