Ex-Loveland Cop Gets 17 Years for On-Duty Sexual Assault of Minor
DENVER — A former Loveland police officer who used his badge to isolate a teenage girl in a park, then sexually assaulted her while on duty, was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years in federal prison.
Dylan Miller, 30, stood silent as a federal judge handed down the punishment — nearly six months after a jury convicted him of violating the victim’s civil rights under color of law. The sentence also includes five years of supervised release.
The case marked a rare federal prosecution of a law enforcement officer for on-duty sexual assault. Evidence at trial showed that Miller was patrolling North Lake Park in the early morning hours of Aug. 4, 2023, when he approached the victim and a friend. He ordered the friend to leave, then guided the girl to a more secluded area of the park and assaulted her.
“Dylan Miller abused his power as a police officer to target, isolate, and sexually assault a minor in his care,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message that the Civil Rights Division will continue to hold accountable law enforcement officers who betray their duty to protect and serve.”
The victim, whose identity has not been released, was a minor at the time of the attack. Miller had been a sworn officer with the Loveland Police Department (LPD) for several years before the incident. He was fired following his arrest.
A jury returned a guilty verdict on Dec. 2, 2025, on a single-count indictment charging Miller with depriving the victim of her constitutional right to bodily integrity — a violation of federal civil rights law. Unlike state sexual assault charges, which focus on the act itself, the federal statute criminalizes the abuse of official power to facilitate the crime.
“Dylan Miller sexually assaulted a minor while on duty as a sworn law enforcement officer. His abuse of power and betrayal of trust are abhorrent,” said U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly for the District of Colorado. “Today, I think of the victim and hope she takes some solace knowing that a jury unanimously condemned the defendant’s criminal conduct and the court has now expressed how serious that conduct was with this lengthy prison sentence.”
At trial, prosecutors described how Miller used his authority to control the scene: ordering the victim’s friend to leave, then maneuvering the girl away from witnesses. The attack occurred in darkness, away from park lights and public view.
“The actions of Mr. Miller were not only harmful to the individual he swore under oath to protect, but they also undermined public trust and confidence in law enforcement,” said Special Agent in Charge Amanda Koldjeski of the FBI Denver Field Office. “The FBI will not tolerate those who abuse their positions of authority.”
LPD officials have said previously that they fully cooperated with federal investigators and moved quickly to terminate Miller after his arrest.
Miller is expected to be transferred to a federal prison in the coming weeks. Under federal law, he must serve at least 85% of his 17-year sentence before he is eligible for release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Gucci Bags, Fentanyl, and a Kiss : Three Maryland Prison Staffers Sentenced for Smuggling Contraband
BALTIMORE — A corrections sergeant who tipped off inmates about a drug raid, an educator who traded contraband for a Gucci bag and kissed an incarcerated student, and an officer caught hiding contraband on her body after an inappropriate relationship with an inmate — all are now convicted felons.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced Tuesday that three former employees of Jessup Correctional Institution (JCI) have been sentenced for running separate smuggling schemes, exposing a stunning breach of prison security that prosecutors say endangered staff and inmates alike.
“When correctional staff smuggle contraband into our prisons, they endanger the health and safety of their colleagues and the incarcerated people entrusted to their care,” Brown said. “These defendants abused their authority to bring prohibited items into Jessup Correctional Institution, undermining prison security for their own profit.”
The Sergeant Who Warned Inmates
Awungjia Rita Atabong, a 13-year veteran correctional officer sergeant, was sentenced to 10 years with all but 18 months suspended, plus three years of probation. She pleaded guilty May 5 to conspiracy to deliver contraband and misconduct in office.
According to prosecutors, Atabong regularly met with associates outside the prison to pick up contraband packages, then smuggled them into JCI for multiple incarcerated individuals. She communicated with inmates using their illicit cellphones and was paid thousands of dollars over several trips.
But one act stood out as particularly brazen: Atabong tipped off an inmate that DPSCS’s contraband interdiction team was conducting an active operation inside the facility.
When police searched her Anne Arundel County home on July 14, 2025, they found a staggering cache packaged for smuggling: 200 pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, nearly 8,000 pills containing MDMA and methamphetamine, 78 grams of cannabis, 54 grams of psilocin (the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms), 733 strips of buprenorphine, tobacco, cellphones with chargers, and other drug paraphernalia.
The Educator with the Gucci Bag
Lakesha Murry, a correctional educator, exploited her classroom access to smuggle drugs, food and other items for incarcerated students — in exchange for cash and luxury goods, including a designer Gucci bag.
Murry used a contraband cellphone to take specific requests from inmates, hiding items on her person and distributing them inside the JCI classroom. Security footage captured her kissing at least one incarcerated student.
On June 9, 2025, she passed cigarettes and five sheets of paper soaked with synthetic cannabis to inmate Kevin Glover. A search of inmate Allen Mitchell’s phone revealed messages discussing Murry’s delivery of unauthorized food.
Murry pleaded guilty May 15 to conspiracy to deliver contraband and misconduct in office. She was sentenced to five years with all but 90 days suspended, followed by three years of probation.
The Officer’s Inappropriate Relationship
Kathyrn Hawes, a correctional officer, engaged in an inappropriate relationship with inmate Artemis Booker. She coordinated with multiple incarcerated co-conspirators via texts and calls to a contraband cellphone.
Among the items she provided: a watch, which she photographed and sent to Booker’s hidden phone. When investigators searched Booker’s cell, they recovered the watch along with a flash drive and tobacco.
Upon her arrest at JCI, Hawes was still carrying additional contraband hidden on her person. She pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to misconduct in office and was sentenced to three years with all but time served suspended, plus three years of probation.
“The guilty pleas entered by these former employees send a clear message that misconduct and corruption within our correctional institutions will not be tolerated,” said Maryland DPSCS Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs. “Any staff member who chooses to engage in criminal activity or compromise the safety and integrity of our facilities will be held accountable.”
Inmates Also Charged
Between February and April 2026, five inmate co-defendants pleaded guilty to charges including possession of a contraband cellphone and conspiracy to deliver contraband. Two remaining JCI inmates — Tavon Williams and Kevin Glover — face trial on May 21 and May 28, respectively. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
For a prison system already battling drugs and violence, the cases expose a painful truth: sometimes the greatest threat isn’t outside the walls — it’s wearing a uniform inside them.
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