Robert Edward Barke (Broomfield Police Department )
A former Broomfield gymnastics coach has been charged with sexual assault on a child, according to a news release issued Wednesday afternoon by 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Robert Edward Barke, 32, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault. The charges allege that Barke sexually assaulted two boys from October 2004 to June 2007 while he was their gymnastics coach at Xtreme Altitude Gymnastics in Broomfield.
The victims were 12 and 14 at the time the alleged assaults began, according to the release.
Charges include sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust as a pattern of abuse, sexual assault on a child and unlawful sexual contact
Barke, who now lives in Houston, was arrested there on March 27. He was released on $100,000 bond. Barke previously was a gymnastics coach in Grand Junction.
Barke waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Wednesday when he appeared in a Broomfield courtroom. He was bound over for trial in Broomfield District Court and will be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. June 20.
The news release did not state how long Barke worked at Xtreme Altitude in Broomfield. A?call to the the gymnastics studio, which answered Flatirons Gymnastics Center, seeking information on his employment there was not returned, instead a statement was sent by email.
It read: "We were all extremely shocked to hear about this news. It has been quite a few years since he has worked for us and we knew nothing of the situation prior to being recently contacted by authorities. We are fully cooperating with detectives in any way we can, but we are very limited in our knowledge of any details associated with the case. As always, the safety of our athletes is of paramount importance to us and we take this situation very seriously.
"Stories like this are becoming all too common, so while we have always had policies and procedures in place to keep our athletes safe, we are committed to raising the awareness of this issue with our gym families so that the children in our community are better protected everywhere they go."
Officials with the center declined to comment on the length of Barke's tenure there and whether or not he was subject to a background check prior to being hired.
A?Google search of his name showed he was coach to Xtreme Altitude athletes listed as USA?Gymnastics Academic All American Athletes in 2004, 2005 and 2009.
The Broomfield Police Department is seeking information about other potential witnesses or victims who have not yet come forward.
Anyone with information should call Detective Dale Hammell at 303-464-5733.
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