Sexual assault charges dropped against Colorado youth ski coach

Criminal charges filed against a Colorado ski coach accused of sexually assaulting a preteen skier on a March trip to New Mexico have been dropped, according to court documents.

The case against Jared Hedges, 48, was dismissed “pending receipt of further discovery and investigation evidence,” Joseph Casados, a spokesman for New Mexico’s 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, wrote in an email to The Denver Post.

Hedges faced two felony counts of sexual assault on a child, according to court records. Both charges were dismissed on April 17, court documents show.

The child was a member of Team Summit Colorado, a youth ski club at Copper Mountain.

Hedges worked as head coach for the team’s alpine racing program until he was arrested in March while on a team trip to Taos, New Mexico.

Casados said the decision allows any future evidence to be presented to a grand jury.

“We remain committed to ensuring a thorough and fair investigation process,” Casados said. “The dismissal at this stage does not preclude future actions based on new evidence or findings.”

Team Summit Colorado learned the charges were dropped against Hedges in April. Executive Director CB Bechtel said in a statement on the club’s website that they continue to cooperate with authorities and review the team’s policies and procedures.

“Athlete safety is and has always been our priority, and with that in mind, we are taking this review process incredibly seriously,” Bechtel stated. “We are endeavoring to take all possible scenarios that may not currently be covered by the policies and procedures in place into consideration.”

The U.S. Center for SafeSport issued a temporary suspension against Hedges in March.

Though the criminal charges were dropped in April, he remains ineligible “until further notice,” the website shows.

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