Swim coach accused of sexually abusing teens 20 years ago. Now he’s going to prison

A swim coach is going to prison after being accused of sexually abusing three teenagers more than 20 years ago, Colorado officials said.

Jon Beber was a swim coach for the club team Boulder Swimming from 1997 through 2002, according to a July 19 news release by Boulder County.

During that time, he sexually abused teen swimmers on the elite team, officials said.

In 2002, Beber quit as coach and left Colorado after the allegations surfaced, officials said.

Nearly 20 later, one of the victims called the district attorney’s office to ask about the statute of limitations on sex crimes, officials said.

Then in 2022, the victims came forward, and officials filed charges against Beber for sexual abuse, officials said.

Beber was found guilty in April of three counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and pattern of abuse, officials said. He was sentenced to 42 years to life in prison July 19.

“This lengthy prison sentence is the right outcome. As the judge noted, this type of case is every parent’s worst nightmare. Parents drop kids off for practice or school and hope that the adults in charge are not abusing their position of trust,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. “This defendant did exactly that, for years. It is only because of the victims’ courage and perseverance that we were able to bring charges all these years later and secure justice for them and their families.”

Boulder is about a 30-mile drive northwest of Denver.

This story was originally published July 22, 2024 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Swim coach accused of sexually abusing teens 20 years ago. Now he’s going to prison."