LITTLETON, Colo. — The former assistant principal of Carmody Middle School is accused of providing beers for a teenager after asking him to help move furniture at his home.
On Feb. 7, 2019, Littleton Police Officer Timothy Fisher was dispatched to a possible sexual assault on the 400 block of W. Caley Circle. He spoke with a man who said he thought his younger brother may have been sexually assaulted.
The Littleton Police Department investigated this claim and determined that the man’s younger brother, who attends Dakota Ridge High School, had had a friendly relationship with Michael Shey Pate, 38. They had met when Pate was the director at Outdoor Lab in Wheat Ridge and the teenager was interning at the business. During this time, the teen learned that Pate was gay, according to an affidavit.
The teen told police he would occasionally receive sexually suggestive text messages from Pate, but brushed them off as jokes.
On Feb. 6, the teenager received text messages from Pate asking for a ride home for $20, plus another $20 to help him move furniture. The teen said he couldn’t offer a ride, but could help him with the furniture.
At this time, Pate was assistant principal at Carmody Middle School in Lakewood.
The teenager arrived at Pate’s home in Littleton and was told there was beer in the fridge and to help himself. He said he drank two beers with Pate on his front porch, according to the affidavit.
The conversation turned "awkward" when Pate told him the kids at work are “stupid” and that he was “going to do something stupid,” the teen said. He said Pate pointed to his crotch and, uncomfortable with the situation, the teenager said he was only there for the money and to help him move. The teen then left the home.
Police said Pate knew the teenager was under 21 years old. The teenager showed them text messages from Pate, including one that read, “Well come over Saturday if they come down. You will need to pretend to be 21 if we all drink on my patio, or you can be the DD.”
The teenager claimed Pate had provided alcohol at other times for his underage friends, according to the affidavit.
Pate was arrested on Friday and is facing a felony charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
A spokesperson for the Jefferson County School District said Pate resigned from his position at Carmody Middle School after the district placed him on administrative leave.
School officials said in a letter to parents that the incident is not connected to the school or any current students.
