A 29-year-old man was arrested in Boulder County last week for sexual abuse of a child and creation and distribution of child sexually exploitative material (CSEM). Dominic Vigil is facing 13 charges after being identified during a Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation. He was booked into the Boulder County Jail on Thursday, July 24 and is currently being held on a $500,000 cash/surety bond. He is scheduled to appear in Boulder County District Court on August 21.
“Since the Digital Forensics Lab and our partners started working these investigations, three things have been made clear,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. “First, there are individuals creating, distributing and using child sexually exploitative material in every community; we are fortunate to have this outstanding team pursuing these in Boulder County. Second, and contrary to what some may believe, cases with child sexually exploitative material always involve victims. In this case, an actual victim is, tragically, right here in Boulder County. And, in this jurisdiction, the investigators and prosecutors will work hard to protect these victims and fight for justice.”
The investigation began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received information about CSEM distribution and passed the information to the Boulder County Forensic Lab after determining the suspect may be in the Boulder County area. The suspect allegedly shared CSEM across multiple social media platforms with some commonalities that led investigators to believe it was being shared by the same person.
Vigil is facing 12 charges related to sexual exploitation of a child related to the possession, creation, and sale of these materials. One additional charge is for sexual assault on a child under 15 from a person in a position of trust. 11 of these charges are labeled as “extraordinary risk,” which means they involve a child under 12 years old, the actual application of physical force or violence; or sexual intercourse, sexual intrusion, or sadomasochism.
Several agencies were involved in the investigation: Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, and Boulder Police Department.
Anyone with additional information about the suspect or the case is encouraged to contact Longmont Police Detective Amanda Jonas at 303-651-8501, Longmont Police Detective Sergeant Todd Chambers at 303-651-8521 or District Attorney Investigator Kevin Brough at 303-441-3700. Anyone who suspects a child is being sexually exploited online can file a report online at NCMEC's CyberTipLine website or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST.
