Colorado Springs detective arrested for alleged misconduct

A 15-year veteran of the Colorado Springs police department, assigned as a detective in the homicide unit, was arrested Monday on suspicion of attempting to influence a public servant, a felony. Patton went on to explain that the woman wanted to have phone sex with him. She was mad at him and showed some of the text messages to a Department of Human Services caseworker, who said she was going to tell someone about them. He said the messages became more and more graphic, and that the situation was “uncomfortable from the beginning”.

According to the warrant, Patton described an encounter during which he says he was driving and she was trying to engage in sexual activity with him, but that he was able to stave her off. He said that after parking the auto, they got out of the vehicle and had relations, but that he tried to make it bad so that she would no longer be attracted to him.

Details of the case laid out in the lengthy affidavit seem to imply Patton claimed he had been stalked by a victim whose case he had been investigating because she had threatened to share proof of their relationship with the district attorney.

In the story to his supervisor, Patton said the woman “wouldn’t leave me alone”, so he went to her house to “end this thing”. Patton said the woman was drunk at the time. He dropped her back off at home and didn’t hear from her for three days. He told detectives on Sunday that the victim had pursued him romantically and was stalking him, but detectives who reviewed their correspondence and spoke with the victim determined he had lied about his role in the affair.

This is an ongoing investigation being conducted in conjunction with the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, police stated. It says Patton emailed her an evidence photo of a gun that was allegedly used to kill a 14-year-old in Memorial Park. The affidavit says the texts were from Patton’s official CSPD cellphone. “Additionally, the text messages and electronic communications recovered during the investigation contradict the statement provided by Patton” during the official interview.

Patton is expected in court August 5.