Teacher Sexually Abused Student with Special Needs, Asked Him to Bring Gun to School to Shoot Colleague

A former Colorado paraprofessional has been sentenced to four years in prison after admitting to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student.

In November, Imagine Kay Ewer, 28, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a special education student she was assigned to care for at Brady Exploration School in Lakewood, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Ewer pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in the first degree, both felonies.

Three other felony counts and one misdemeanor were dismissed in exchange for her guilty plea, the District Attorney said in the statement.

On Friday, Jan. 31, Ewer was sentenced to four years in prison, which will be followed by probation in the Sex Offender Intensive Supervision program for ten years to life.

During the sentencing, the victim’s mother addressed the court, saying, “The defendant preyed on my son, leading him to believe she genuinely cared for him, all while exploiting him for money and manipulating him into thinking he was ‘the one,’” according to the statement.

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“What makes this even more painful is that I trusted the defendant,” she said. “Had I known what was truly happening, I would never have allowed her such close access to him.”

Ewer introduced the victim to fentanyl, Special Victims Prosecutor Brynn Chase said in court, according to the statement.

Ewer also sent the victim “thousands upon thousands upon thousands” of text messages saying that she wanted the victim to bring a gun to their sexual encounters, Chase said in court.

Ewer even told the victim “to bring the gun to school and shoot another faculty member in the leg,” Chase said.

The crime came to light in November 2023, when a teacher at the school called police after seeing “inappropriate writing” on one of the student’s worksheets, the District Attorney’s Office said in the statement.

Police launched an investigation which revealed that “Ewer’s ‘favoritism’ towards the child was noticed by staff almost immediately, with evidence of an inappropriate relationship beginning in approximately September 2023,” the statement said.

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Detectives discovered “evidence of frequent sexual encounters, constant digital communication, inclusive of repeated derogatory remarks directed at the victim, and the introduction of drugs, alcohol, and weapons,” it said.

Ewer, who had worked for Jefferson County Public Schools from 2015 to 2023 as a school nurse, a paraprofessional and a teaching assistant, was arrested in January 2024.

She was charged with sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust; sexual exploitation of a child; unlawful electronic sexual communication; and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, online court records show.

At the sentencing, Ewer said, “I just want to apologize to the victim and the victim’s family,” the statement said. “I’m really sorry; this will never happen again.”

Her attorney did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.