Photo: Larimer County Sheriff's Office
A former "counselor of the year" is accused of sexually assaulting a female student more than 100 times during a span of several years.
Cassandra Poncelow, 40, was charged with sexual assault, sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation of children and aggravated sexual assault on a client by a psychotherapist, 9News reports. Poncelow initially met the accuser in her office at Poudre School District in Fort Collins, Colorado, when the victim, who is now an adult, was a student.
The student met with police in July and claimed she was assaulted by Poncelow at her home more than 100 times, which included bringing her over for "sleepovers." Police didn't say the exact timeframe when the assaults happened but noted that Poncelow was employed by the school from 2007 to 2024.
The victim told police that Poncelow threatened to kill herself "if you tell anyone," according to the police report obtained by 9News. The former counselor said she became sober since the incidents took place and later expressed shame, claiming she fell in love with the victim while accepting it "was not okay" when speaking to police.
“Lack of boundary, not okay. The power difference, not okay. It was wrong,” she allegedly said via 9News.
Poncelow was named Colorado's 2016 'counselor of the year' by the Colorado School Counseling Association, as well as a finalist for the American School Counselor of the Year in 2018, according to the Coloradoan.