Honk News – A Colorado judge has handed down a three-year prison sentence to a 33-year-old man for engaging in inappropriate behavior outside coffee shops and contaminating unsealed food items in the bakery of his workplace.
In a recent announcement from the Larimer County District Attorney’s Office, it was revealed that Stephen Masalta entered a guilty plea in September regarding charges of attempted sexual assault on a child and two counts of indecent exposure. Masalta is set to receive credit for nearly a year in prison, which means he could be released back into the community in two years.
Upon his release, he must register as a sex offender, maintain no contact with individuals under 18, and is prohibited from having unsupervised internet access.
Authorities expressed their disappointment over the inability to impose a stricter penalty on Masalta, who was apprehended engaging in inappropriate behavior outside coffee shops in Fort Collins, shocking numerous onlookers, including children, in February. Further inquiry revealed the shocking behavior of Masalta at the Safeway grocery store where he was employed.
District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin stated that prosecutors needed to approach the situation “creatively” in order to enforce a severe penalty, as the law prohibits multiple misdemeanor charges from being served consecutively. Masalta faced a total of 36 charges, including multiple counts of indecent exposure, attempted indecent exposure, and attempted unlawful sexual contact, alongside several counts related to sexual assault on a child.
McLaughlin stated that the agreement necessitated Masalta to fulfill the maximum sentence for the felony charge.
According to earlier reports, authorities in Fort Collins have initiated an investigation following claims of inappropriate exposure by an individual frequenting local coffee shops to engage in lewd acts near or in front of staff, including some who are underage.
In a recent update regarding the case involving Masalta, Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swoboda shared that following his arrest in February and the execution of a search warrant at his residence, investigators discovered videos depicting Masalta engaging in inappropriate acts with food at a Safeway location on East Harmony Road.
“As we went through the evidence we realized there had been many more crimes, and many more victims in our community,” Swoboda said.
Masalta was employed there for a duration of two months, during which he engaged in inappropriate behavior involving various food items, including those that were not commercially sealed.