Sex assault case dismissed against former Manitou teacher

Ashley Eberhardt
·1 min read
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(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — The sexual assault case against a former Manitou Springs High School teacher has been dismissed, after a primary victim in the case made the decision not to testify.

At a hearing on Monday, March 11, the victim’s legal team informed the judge that, due to difficult circumstances, the victim would not be able to testify in a trial that was slated to begin on Tuesday, March 12.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrest papers accuse former Manitou Springs teacher of sex assault on a child

According to arrest documents, 53-year-old Matthew Barton was arrested by the Manitou Springs Police Department on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022 on six counts of Sexual Assault on a Child by One in a Position of Trust. The arrest documents stated that the alleged crimes began in 2007 with a 14-year-old sophomore student, turning sexual when she was 15.

Matthew Barton
Courtesy: Manitou Springs Police Department

Barton resigned his position at Manitou Springs High School in 2011, at which point he went on to teach around Colorado after the alleged crime in Manitou Springs, and finally retired as an Assistant Principal in Douglas County.

A hearing is scheduled for April 1 at 3 p.m. to discuss sealing the records in the case.

Barton has been released from bond, and the scheduled trial has been vacated.

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