DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Two Coloradans have been arrested on child sex crime-related charges, deputies with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Michael Palestino, 33, and 28-year-old Gianna Worley were arrested over the past month in connection with an ongoing child exploitation investigation.
An arrest affidavit in the case against Palestino shows the suspect, a resident of Castle Pines, was engaging in sexually explicit conversations with someone over the KiK messaging app, even going as far as suggesting engaging in sexual acts in front of children.
He was arrested on May 13 on several felony counts, including sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, sexual exploitation of a child, sexual assault on a child, and sexual exploitation of a child.
The investigation later revealed that Worley, a resident of Centennial, was also connected to the case. She was arrested on June 4 on one count of sexual exploitation of a child and 12 counts of sexual exploitation of child.
Palestino is currently being held without bond at the El Paso County Jail on “an unrelated matter” and will be transported to Douglas County at a later date, deputies said in a news release. Worley was booked into the Douglas County Jail and given a $100,000 bond.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
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