Lincoln Middle School teacher arrested, accused of sexually assaulting two girls

Sarah Kyle, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·2 min read

Corrections and clarifications: Lincoln Middle School principal Ryan Thomson's last name was misspelled in a previous version of this story.

This story references sexual crimes against children. Resources for those impacted have been included.

A Lincoln Middle School teacher and assistant track coach was arrested Tuesday and accused by police of sexually assaulting at least two girls.

Police say Poudre School District staff reported allegations against the teacher, identified in a Wednesday news release as Evan King, in April 2024. King was placed on administrative leave that month and police launched a four-month investigation into the accusations against him, which included touching students inappropriately on multiple occasions.

Police say the investigation identified "two female juvenile victims and multiple student witnesses" but that more victims or witnesses may exist. Formal charges against King had not appeared in online court records as of Wednesday morning. His scheduled first appearance in the case is July 17, according to the online court docket.

King has been on staff as a social studies teacher at Lincoln Middle School since Aug. 14, 2018, and had coaching positions for a variety of sports at the school starting in March 2020, PSD spokesperson Emily Shockley told the Coloradoan. In addition to track, he also coached softball and tennis, Shockley said.

King also taught at PSD's Linton Elementary, where he was a sixth-grade teacher from Aug. 16, 2007, to May 25, 2009, Shockley said.

The accusations against him that led to his arrest are from the 2023-24 school year, Lincoln Middle School principal Ryan Thomson told families in an email Wednesday. That email was shared with the Coloradoan by Shockley.

"PSD immediately put Mr. King on paid administrative leave on April 18, 2024, as soon as the alleged behavior was reported," Thomson said in the email. "He has not been at school since."

Citing concerns that there could be additional victims or witnesses beyond those identified in the investigation, police are asking anyone who thinks they might be a victim or have information "related to this type of behavior" to call Fort Collins Police Services Detective Justin Butler, 970-221-6340, or Larimer County Crime Stoppers, 970-221-6868.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

Mental health resources for students, families

In the Wednesday email, Thomson shared the following mental health resources:

  • SummitStone’s Community Crisis Center, 2260 W. Trilby Road in Fort Collins: 970-494-4200

  • I Matter Colorado (up to six free, virtual counseling sessions): imattercolorado.org or yoimportocolorado.org (la versión en Español).

  • Child, Adolescent and Young Adult Connections (CAYAC): 970-221-3308

  • Connections – Adult Services: 970-221-5551

  • Sexual Assault Victims Advocate (SAVA) Center: 970-472-4204

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress and crisis resources for your loved ones

  • Text or call 988 to talk with a trained counselor. 988 also offers help in Spanish.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Lincoln Middle School teacher accused of sexually assaulting children