She once was school 'counselor of the year.' Now she's accused of sexually assaulting student 100+ times, court docs say. | Blaze Media
A former school "counselor of the year" in Colorado now faces accusations of sexually assaulting a student over 100 times — and threatening to kill herself if the victim reported the sexual abuse, authorities said.
On Tuesday, the city of Fort Collins released a statement saying its police department got a tip in July 2025 that a former Poudre School District counselor had an inappropriate relationship with a student while employed with the district.
'These allegations are deeply troubling.'
Following an investigation, detectives identified the suspect as 40-year-old Cassandra Poncelow, who was a district employee between 2007 and 2024.
"The investigation revealed that Poncelow had an inappropriate relationship with a student for several years and sexually assaulted the student on multiple occasions off campus," the statement reads. "When the crimes occurred, the victim was a juvenile; however, the victim is now an adult." KCNC-TV reported that the victim was a girl.
According to court documents obtained by KUSA-TV, the student met Poncelow at her high school counseling office.
Citing the arrest affidavit, KUSA reported that Poncelow hosted "sleepovers" at her home with the alleged victim.
The guidance counselor also had "unsupervised" visits with the alleged victim in Poncelow's office at school, according to court documents.
The accusations reportedly were first sent to Safe2Tell, a resource for students, parents, school staff, and community members to anonymously report "concerns regarding their safety or the safety of others."
The Colorado Department of Human Services in April 2023 allegedly received a report of a guidance counselor sexually assaulting a student. The alleged sexual abuse began a "few years" before DHS was tipped off, according to KUSA.
However, Poncelow stayed on as a district guidance counselor until she resigned Sept. 6, 2024.
KUSA reported, "When asked whether Poncelow was disciplined or put on leave related to the Safe2Tell report or the DHS report in April 2024, the district said they could not share personnel matters 'due to state and federal privacy laws.'"
The school district informed KUSA that Poncelow worked at one elementary school, three middle schools, three high schools, and one career tech center.
In April 2023, police questioned the alleged victim after the accusations surfaced, and the alleged victim was "surprised" by the accusations and denied having a sexual relationship with Poncelow, according to court documents.
The criminal case was closed due to insufficient evidence to support the allegations, according to law enforcement.
However, the case was reopened last month when the alleged victim came forward to authorities, claimed to have been sexually assaulted more than 100 times, and said the sexual assaults occurred at Poncelow's home, according to the affidavit.
The alleged victim added to police that Poncelow threatened self-harm if the student told anyone about their relationship.
According to the arrest report, Poncelow told the alleged victim, "If you tell anyone, I'll kill myself."
Poncelow allegedly felt shame about the alleged sexual relationship, police said.
According to the arrest report obtained by KCNC, the guidance counselor allegedly told the student, "Our physical and sexual relationship was not OK. Lack of boundary, not OK. The power difference, not OK. It was wrong."
The Fort Collins Police Services stated, "Detectives are concerned there may be more victims or witnesses of additional criminal behavior related to Poncelow."
RELATED: School employee makes shocking confession to police about sexually abusing student: Court docs
According to jail records, Poncelow was booked into the Larimer County Jail. She was charged with felony counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation of children, aggravated sexual assault on a client by a psychotherapist, and sexual assault.
"We are actively working to support the victim and ensure accountability, knowing that cases like this deeply affect not only those directly involved but the entire community. Our priority remains centered on the victim's well-being and the thoroughness of this investigation," said Lieutenant Sara Lynd, head of the Fort Collins Police Services Crimes Against Persons Unit.
According to the Denver Gazette, Poudre Schools said the allegations are "deeply troubling."
"Poudre School District is aware that Cassandra Poncelow, a former employee in the district, was arrested following a Fort Collins Police Services investigation into allegations involving a minor," the statement reads. "These allegations are deeply troubling."
The statement adds that "the district has fully cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation. The safety and well-being of our students are our highest priority."
The statement concluded, "Because this is an active investigation, and to protect the privacy of those involved, we are unable to share additional details."
Poncelow was honored as Colorado’s 2016 "counselor of the year" by the Colorado School Counseling Association and was a finalist for the American School Counselor of the Year award in 2018, according to the Coloradoan.
Anyone with information regarding the case is urged to contact Detective Cole Giandomenico at 970-221-6558, or Larimer County Crime Stoppers at 970-221-6868.
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