Teen victim speaks out alleging ex-Aurora SRO sent her inappropriate texts
AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A former Aurora school resource officer is accused of sending explicit and inappropriate text messages to a 16-year-old high school student, who sat down with FOX31 to share her story.
Egide Ndagije was an SRO at Aurora Central High School and is now facing charges because of those texts. FOX31 obtained the messages, which show the former Aurora officer inquiring about the teen’s sexual history and her underwear.
Because the student, now 17, is a minor and a victim of alleged sexual misconduct, FOX31 is not identifying her name or showing her face.
“I just had that feeling in my stomach like this isn’t right. I should say something, but also I needed the help and I was vulnerable,” the teen said.
Colorado lawmakers change education requirements for young drivers
Months removed from the initial incident, the teen said she no longer trusts adults or law enforcement and feels that her vulnerability was violated. The girl said through tears that the trauma still haunts her today.
“It’s a lot of emotions to take in for a 16-year-old,” she cried. “Being taken advantage of while trying to get help and then the whole time he’s just having ill intentions with me. It’s sick.”
Text messages begin when teen seeks help from SRO
In October 2023, Ndagije was an Aurora police officer and worked as an SRO at Aurora Central High School. At the time, the 16-year-old attended Central High and said Ndagije had a good relationship with students and was someone she trusted and would go to during break or on lunch.
The teen said when she relocated to Fort Collins, Ndagije gave the 16-year-old his phone number in case she needed anything. A police source confirmed with FOX31 that it was Ndagije’s personal phone number.
The teen said she reached out to the SRO because she needed help. According to an investigation by Aurora’s Internal Affairs Bureau, the teen was seeking help about a possible domestic violence situation.
Text messages between Ndagije and the teen state she and her family were being harassed by an ex-boyfriend. The 29-page thread of text messages was exchanged over 24 hours. The correspondence was provided to FOX31 by the family’s attorney, Matthew Haltzman.
“This activity is totally predatory,” Haltzman said. “It was really difficult as a father and as a lawyer to see those kinds of messages being sent from an adult to a child. It was disturbing.”
These were the most popular baby names in Colorado in 2023
In those messages, the 16-year-old types: ”I really need help with something. It’s taking a toll on me and idk what to do…please.” She added in several other messages that she was “really really scared.”
Through multiple text exchanges, Ndagije offers advice about her ex-boyfriend, asks questions about her day and engages in personal conversations. Ndagije asks the teen what time she went to bed and how she slept. He also tells her she looks great when discussing her workout regimen, tells her she’s a grown woman and also tells the teen he’s about to shower.
More of those text messages show Ndagije saying more than once: “Did you tell your mom that you were texting me, a cop?” He also texted: ”Don’t tell anyone we talked or we speak,” and he also asked her twice to download WhatsApp so they can text there.
Ndagije follows with more messages that read: “Don’t hesitate to talk to me or text me whenever,” “I am your friend” and “I’m here for you.”
The most brazen text messages show Ndagije asking the 16-year-old if her mother still buys her panties and asking how many sexual encounters she’s had.
“I trusted you and you basically stabbed me in the back,” the teen said of Ndagije. “Just took advantage of me coming to you for help. I was just uncomfortable. I started to second-guess myself. Am I just overthinking it? I already have a lot going on and was just questioning myself as a person.”
‘I feel like they failed my daughter’
The girl said immediately after the inappropriate messages, her intuition kicked in and she cut the conversation and told her parents about it. Her parents went straight to the Aurora Police Department with the information.
The victim’s mother spoke with FOX31 on camera but does not want to be identified for safety concerns.
“When I saw the text messages, I was completely disgusted,” the mother said. “Watching her go through it has been extremely emotional. She’s a different person and it’s really sad to see. I think that the Aurora Police Department needs to also take some ownership, and I feel like they failed my daughter.”
Police said the department received a misconduct complaint last year, notified Aurora Public Schools and placed Ndagije on administrative leave, per policy. Then an internal affairs investigation was opened and concluded with multiple policy violations, including making an untruthful declaration, not submitting evidence and accessing the criminal justice information system.
Haltzman, the family’s attorney, said Ndagije looked up the teen’s address in the police database, and a search of Ndagije’s personal phone found a picture of the 16-year-old from behind that he snapped without her knowing.
Denver Trolley to open for summer season
The report stated: “A supervisor found items in a bag belonging to Member 1 that should’ve been submitted to the property and evidence unit and had not been.”
Aurora police said Ndagije resigned before the investigation was complete, but the department would have fired him.
Former Aurora Police Chief Art Acevedo requested the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent investigation. Based on those findings, the district attorney’s office charged the former SRO with three counts of official misconduct, which are misdemeanor offenses.
Haltzman said he’s planning to file a civil lawsuit on behalf of the family and alleges this is not the first incident.
“Part of the problem with this case is that there are other victims. We know that there are at least three victims in this case, but we expect that there’s many more,” Haltzman said.
Aurora Public Schools responds
After FOX31 requested comment, Aurora Public Schools released this statement: “School Resource Officers (SROs) are employed by the Aurora Police Department. We have been fully supportive of APD’s investigation into the conduct of one of its former employees. We take all reports of misconduct seriously and want to emphasize that safety is our top priority.”
Since there is a possibility there could be more victims, FOX31 asked the district multiple times if an alert went out to parents to notify them about the incident, but they have not responded to the question.
FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox
Despite the emotional trauma, the teen said she is brave enough to speak up for what is right and does not want anyone to suffer like she is. She said since the incident, she’s had to move schools twice, has become very isolated and was essentially robbed of her senior year.
“With this whole incident, I don’t have pictures to look back on. No prom,” the teen cried. “I don’t have friends. I’m just alone. It’s been really hard.”
Ndagije can no longer work as a police officer in Colorado. The former officer’s certification under Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training was revoked in March.
Ndagije is expected to appear in court on May 31. His attorney declined to comment.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
