Boulder man pleads guilty in child sexual assault case

Apr. 15—A Boulder man charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl after luring her back to his apartment with drugs accepted a plea deal on Friday.

Ian Clarke Morrison, 38, initially pleaded not guilty on Aug. 16, 2022, to sexual assault on a child with a pattern of abuse, aggravated sexual assault on a child, distribution of a controlled substance to a minor, two counts of enticement of a child, 16 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Morrison was set for court on Monday when his trial was continued. On Friday he pleaded guilty to all charges except one count of sexual exploitation of a child-possession.

Morrison remains in custody without bond. His bond was initially set at $250,000 but was revoked following his plea deal.

According to an affidavit, in December 2020, the parent of a teen girl reported the case to Longmont police after discovering evidence on the girl's phone that she was having sex with an adult.

The assaults were referred to Boulder police, as the girl said the suspect, who she only knew as Ian, lived in Boulder and would order her rides to bring her to his apartment.

The girl said she was 13 and then 14 years old during the text exchanges and their subsequent meetings, and said Morrison knew how old she was, according to the affidavit.

The girl told police that she met Morrison on an app called Whisper in early 2020 when they started to exchange texts. In June or July, the girl said Morrison arranged for her to come to his apartment, where he gave her marijuana and had sex with her.

During the second meeting, the girl said she smoked methamphetamine and was "out of it" due to the drugs, and did not consent to everything that had happened, according to the affidavit. According to the affidavit, the girl said she does not remember everything that happened during the second visit, but knows they had sex. She also told police that based on pain and what Morrison later told her, Morrison tied her up at one point.

Under the supervision of Boulder police, the girl sent Morrison a text asking him meet up again, and detectives were able to get an address from the ride he ordered and find Morrison's information through a database.

Additionally, officers stated that during the text conversation, Morrison admitted to giving the girl drugs and referred to her sleeping in his bed.

Police also found "sexually explicit material of children" on Morrison's phone. In a news release on Jan. 20, 2021, Boulder police expressed concern that there could be more victims after the department's investigation uncovered "sexually explicit material of children."

Morrison also reportedly failed to appear for a hearing on his case in 2021 before being arrested in Oregon and has a pending case that includes charges of violating conditions of bond and violation of a protection order.

He is set for sentencing at 8:30 a.m.June 18.

___

(c)2024 the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.)

Visit the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.) at www.dailycamera.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.