Former Northern Colorado Assistant District Attorney Sexually Abused Underage Intern, Victim Tells Story

Former Larimer County Assistant District Attorney Dan Quinn must register as a sex offender after a former intern, who was a minor at the time, came forward and reported their sexual relationship. For the first time, the victim in the case told her story to CBS News Colorado’s Dillon Thomas, who first reported the case.

Thomas and CBS News Colorado were the only journalists in the in the courtroom last month when Quinn pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual assault stemming from his actions in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The victim in the case, now a local attorney, began pursuing her dream career while still in high school in the Poudre School District.

CBS News Colorado has agreed not to release the woman’s identity because she was a child at the time of many of the sexual assaults.

“I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a lawyer,” the victim said.

So she started looking for an internship that would make it easier for her to start her career. She was able to obtain an internship through PSD and the Larimer County court system. This enabled her to gain experience, make contacts and earn course credits.

She was hired in the late 1990s when she was just 16 years old.

“My job was file work, I was a grunt,” the victim said. “It was like a dream come true. When I was 16 or 17, I got as close to being a lawyer as I could.”

However, she said her life changed when she met them – Assistant District Attorney Dan Quinn.

She was asked to give him files related to a court case he was working on.

“He gave me a thank you note and left a souvenir on my desk for bringing him a file,” the victim said. “Looking back, it’s strange. But as a 16-year-old, I was thrilled.”

In videos obtained by CBS News Colorado, Quinn told Fort Collins police he remembered making contact with the victim, particularly after noticing her smile. She says she later returned to her desk and found a letter from Quinn.

“What started as a thank-you note for handing over a file escalated into buying me lunch, other gifts and wanting to go to the mountains with me. That’s when I started to feel uncomfortable with what was going on,” the victim said.

The victim said she reported Quinn’s behavior at the time to at least one employee in the office.

“How did they go about it?” Thomas asked.

“This attorney spoke directly to Mr. Quinn and asked him to stop contacting me. This attorney also reported Mr. Quinn’s contact to the office administration,” the victim said.

However, she says the behavior and contact did not stop, even after Quinn was confronted by his colleagues.

The contact turned sexual, with police reporting that Quinn admitted to touching the victim over her clothing before the sexual encounters occurred.

“When I was 16 or 17 I didn’t understand how inappropriate it was. So I enjoyed the affection for a while,” the victim said.

“Perhaps you would have welcomed that because of who he was and the career you wanted to pursue?” Thomas asked.

“That is absolutely correct. Initially, I welcomed the affection because he was a lawyer, which is what I wanted to be,” the victim said. “He had power within the office. He was the chief deputy district attorney.”

The sexual encounters took place in the office stairwell, in the courthouse and also in private areas. The abuse continued for years, even after the victim came of age.

Eventually, more employees noticed the duo’s connection and brought it to the attention of then-District Attorney Stu Vanmeveren.

Vanmeveren then reportedly allowed Quinn to resign from his position without reporting the crimes to police.

The victim said she believes Quinn had no excuse at the time to justify his actions to an intern who was underage in most of the encounters.

“In your opinion, is there no excuse for him not knowing that what he was doing was not only wrong but also illegal?” Thomas asked.

“There is no excuse for him or anyone in the prosecution. They persecuted people who violated the same law,” the victim said.

Quinn worked as a lawyer for decades after the sexual assaults.

The victim reported the crimes in 2023 after Colorado lawmakers briefly passed a law that removed the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse by people in positions of power. The law has since been declared unconstitutional.

However, police had already begun their investigation and the court case resulted in a settlement with Quinn.

As part of the plea agreement that Quinn accepted, Quinn pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual assault and also agreed to register as a sex offender.

I filed a civil lawsuit with the county. The Larimer County Board of Supervisors has agreed to pay $300,000 to the victim because the county’s former employees failed to report Quinn to police.

Vanmeveren’s name was also removed from a portion of the Larimer County Court House named after him because he failed to come forward.

Quinn’s official sentencing was originally scheduled for October 1. However, the announcement of the verdict was postponed until mid-November.

“Decades later, would you say you are still hurt by what happened?” Thomas asked.

“In any case. Part of me is still 16 or 17 years old and doesn’t fully understand how bad Mr. Quinn’s behavior was,” the victim said. “I’ll live with this for the rest of my life.”