GOP Activist Pleads Guilty To Attempted Sex Assault
Man Could Get 8 Years For Crime
POSTED: 10:07 a.m. MDT July 12, 2002
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A Republican activist in Colorado
Springs has pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually assault a
13-year-old girl he met on the Internet.
Randal David Ankeney, 30, faces up to eight years in prison at his
sentencing Sept. 9. Prosecutors dropped six other charges
against Ankeney as part of a plea agreement.
Ankeney told the victim he was 25 years old and she
claimed to be 14, court records said.
Ankeney is accused of picking her up in Fountain, Colo., in July and
taking her to his apartment in downtown Colorado Springs, Colo., where he
allegedly provided her with marijuana before they had sex.
He dropped her off the next day at a fast-food restaurant where she called a relative who then contacted police, according to his arrest report.
Ankeney is also accused of assaulting a 17-year-old girl in a
separate case.
Ankeney has worked as a volunteer on several local politicians'
campaigns. Last year, Gov. Bill Owens appointed Ankeney as a
business development representative in the Colorado Springs branch
of the state Office of Economic Development. Ankeney resigned July
31, a day before he was arrested. He had been making $63,000 a year in that position.
Randal David Ankeney, 30, faces up to eight years in prison at his
sentencing Sept. 9. Prosecutors dropped six other charges
against Ankeney as part of a plea agreement.
Ankeney told the victim he was 25 years old and she
claimed to be 14, court records said.
Ankeney is accused of picking her up in Fountain, Colo., in July and
taking her to his apartment in downtown Colorado Springs, Colo., where he
allegedly provided her with marijuana before they had sex.
He dropped her off the next day at a fast-food restaurant where she called a relative who then contacted police, according to his arrest report.
Ankeney is also accused of assaulting a 17-year-old girl in a
separate case.
Ankeney has worked as a volunteer on several local politicians'
campaigns. Last year, Gov. Bill Owens appointed Ankeney as a
business development representative in the Colorado Springs branch
of the state Office of Economic Development. Ankeney resigned July
31, a day before he was arrested. He had been making $63,000 a year in that position.
Previous Stories:
- December 18, 2001: GOP Activist Accused Of Assaulting Another Girl
- August 9, 2001: State Official Arrested In Child Sex Assault Probe
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
