DENVER — The Denver District Attorney’s Office filed charges against an Aurora West College Preparatory Academy dean who is currently facing charges in Aurora for the April 3 incident at the Aurora school.
Tushar Rae, 30, was formally charged Wednesday with felony menacing, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and prohibited use of a weapon.
The charges are separate from the original Arapahoe County charges and stem from alleged incidents at his Denver home on March 1 and March 7, which authorities learned of while investigating the April incident at Aurora West.
On March 1, prosecutors say Rae was in his apartment with another individual when he retrieved a handgun, pointed it at her chest and then fired it just off to her side.
On March 7, the victim was again in Rae’s apartment and when she attempted to leave, Rae allegedly blocked her exit. She then attempted to exit through the garage door, however, Rae is accused of grabbing her by the arm, dragging her to the front of the house and throwing her on the couch.
Rae has been arrested two additional times in connection with the Denver allegations since the April 3 incident at Aurora West where he is accused of carrying a concealed weapon to the school and making violent threats.
According to police documents, Rae and principal Taisiya “Taya” Tselolikhina had been in an argument the day before. The next day, Rae did not show up to work at the school but texted Teslolikhina around 2 p.m. telling her to meet in his office.
Once there, Rae allegedly pulled a handgun out and put it on a desk. “You shouldn’t have said what you said. I don’t want to hurt you. I’m going to hurt all the people around you,” he allegedly told Teslolikhina, then threatened to “shoot the kneecaps off” two fellow administrators.
“I came prepared,” he allegedly told her, then patted his pocket and said “he had two extra rounds.” He also allegedly told her to walk away or he would “shoot the next person outside the door.”
He left the office and allegedly took pictures of different parts of the school and texted them to Teslolikhina, who placed the school on lockdown.
According to his arrest affidavit, Rae admitted to sending text messages that day “that he should not have sent,” but the police documents do not make clear what the content of those messages was.
Rae is scheduled to appear in Denver District Court May 1. Rae’s preliminary hearing in the Arapahoe County case is set for June 10. As conditions of his bond, Rae will be monitored via GPS and will have to report to pre-trial services in conjunction with his Denver case.
