Former Fort Collins youth pastor arrested on child sexual assault charges may have more victims, officials say

A former Fort Collins, Colorado, youth pastor arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting multiple children over the course of several decades may have more victims, officials say.

Hipolito Gomez-Perdomo, 65, was arrested and held on a $200,000 bond in March on one count of sexual assault on a child, and five counts of sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust. Additional charges are pending, according to a Thursday news release from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

In early 2023, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a sexual assault involving Gomez-Perdomo. The teenage victim identified the suspect in relation to an assault that happened when she was a young child in the early 2000s. She did not report it then because of fear of repercussions, but came forward after learning that other teenagers had experienced similar abuse by Gomez-Perdomo, the sheriff’s office says.

Investigators found a dismissed sexual assault case from 2019 involving Gomez-Perdomo and a different victim, according to the release. The sheriff’s office reopened the 2019 case in conjunction with the new allegations.

During the investigation, an additional victim came forward and said that Gomez-Perdomo sexually assaulted her in the late 1990s when she was a young child. According to the release, Gomez-Perdomo met the victim’s family through church and was a trusted family friend.

Gomez-Perdomo was a youth pastor at Vida Abundante church in north Fort Collins, the sheriff’s office stated. After the sexual assault allegations in 2019, he left the congregation. Before living in Fort Collins, he lived in Fort Morgan and Houston, according to the release.

Investigators believe there may be other victims. Anyone with information should call Investigator Travis Fischer at 970-498-5585. People who want to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868.