A Longmont man convicted of sexually assaulting three children he babysat over 10 years will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, as a judge sentenced him Friday to 60 years to life in prison.
Douglas Kent Hartman, 61, was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust with a pattern of abuse on a child under the age of 15 and enticement of a child following a seven-day trial in May.
The sex assault on a child counts are subject to Colorado’s indeterminate sentencing law for sex offenses, which means Hartman will have to complete treatment and apply for parole before being released from prison after any sentence served.
Boulder District Judge Judith LaBuda on Friday sentenced Hartman to 20 years to life in prison on each of the sex assault counts, and ordered he serve them consecutively for a total of 60 years before he would be eligible to apply for parole.
Hartman was already in custody following the verdict in May.
“This sentence reflects the high priority that the DA’s Office places on protecting the most vulnerable in our community,” Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. “Our office is grateful to the jury for their service, the victims and their families for their courage in reporting the sexual assaults, and the Longmont Police Department for their hard work investigating the cases against this sex offender. (Deputy District Attorney) Laura Kinde and the prosecution team did an outstanding job in securing justice for the victims and our community.”
Prosecutors said Hartman babysat for three different families going through rough times, but then sexually assaulted the three girls he babysat multiple times over the course of ten years.
According to an arrest affidavit, Longmont police received the first report of sexual assault in September 2014 when a woman reported that her 6-year-old daughter said Hartman had sexually assaulted her multiple times by performing oral sex on her in his bathroom when he was babysitting her.
In March 2017, Longmont police received another report from a 3-year-old girl’s mother, who also was one of Hartman’s friends.
In October 2017, a Longmont school told police that an 11-year-old student reported Hartman to her counselor.
