Former Jefferson County Public Schools counselor pleads guilty to child sex assault

A former Jefferson County Public Schools social worker took a deal and pleaded guilty Monday to sexually assaulting a child, court records show.

Chloe Rose Castro, a 29-year-old woman from Lakewood, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, a felony, according to Jefferson County court records. The plea deal dropped a second child sex assault charge and one count of internet luring of a child from her case, court records show.

The woman faces an open-ended, or “indeterminate,” sentence that will last from a minimum of four years to a maximum of life in prison when she is sentenced on April 2, according to a news release from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Castro was arrested in November 2024 after the victim’s parents found “evidence of a sexual relationship” and reported Castro to the Arvada Police Department, prosecutors said in the release.

The parents told police that they found inappropriate social media messages between their child and Castro, according to an arrest affidavit. Police said the student attended an online school at the time, but he often met Castro behind the Apex Center — a recreation center in Arvada.

The unidentified student, who was younger than 15 when the assault happened, said Castro “really understood him” and that “she was the only person he could trust.” He said they had plans to move to California and New Mexico to “create a new life together,” according to the affidavit.

Castro and the student met outside of school for the first time in May 2024, police stated in the affidavit. They often met in a spot behind the recreation center, where they would kiss and touch each other, according to the document. They also met in Castro’s office at least once.

The two would text and exchange messages on Instagram, including nude photos, according to the arrest affidavit. They deleted the messages nightly out of fear of being caught, police said.

No other victims came forward after Castro’s arrest, according to the DA’s office.

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