Buck Brandon, 50, was sentenced to 42 months in community corrections on Sept. 26 after being found guilty of assault causing serious bodily injury, a class 4 felony, to a child in the 22nd Judicial District.
He has served presentence time of 205 days.
Brandon’s last known address is in Clifton, Colorado, but some of the instances of assault took place in Montezuma County, according to the affidavit acquired by The Journal.
During his sentencing, Judge William Furse said Brandon must also comply with the protection order, complete a HIV test and disclose the results to the victim. He is prohibited from having contact with anyone under 18 years old.
He must also follow mental health plan recommendations, complete a offender specific treatment program and follow all recommendations from that program. He is permitted to use the internet only when supervised by a treatment provider.
Brandon is also required to register as a sex offender.
According to the heavily redacted affidavit provided by the District Attorney’s Office, the victim is under 13 years old, and Brandon engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with this child on multiple occasions.
The affidavit, written by Montezuma County Detective Sgt. John Hargraves, detailed interviews with two children by the Child Advocacy Center Intake Supervisor Chris Veach in December.
The report, though redacted, provided insight into the abuse from Brandon, who was reportedly a family friend of the individuals the children were staying with as “temporary residence.”
The victim had reportedly said to the reporting party that they were afraid of Brandon, that he made them do inappropriate things, that he had inappropriate photos of them on his phone and that he would “hurt (redacted) private parts with his private parts.”
The first child told Veach that they had seen a video on Brandon’s phone while riding in his truck with him that was reportedly of the alleged abuse of the other child.
The victim also spoke with Veach. Hargraves noted in the report that the child seemed fearful and apprehensive to talk about the alleged abuse, at first, but soon started to open up to Veach, despite repeated hesitations.
According to the child’s testimony, Brandon would take off the child’s pajamas and touch their private parts. Using a chart to help the child explain what had happened allowed the child to show Veach that Brandon had used his hands, fingers, mouth and penis to touch the child.
“He was taking off my pj’s, got on top and started rubbing down there,” the child said in the report.
The child told Veach that this had happened in multiple locations, not just in Cortez, and on multiple occasions.
Though Brandon said it was “not true,” Hargraves said he believed that Brandon had committed the crimes as stated. He entered his plea on June 27.
