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KRDO13 Investigates: Former Palmer Ridge High School head wrestling coach arrested on child sex crime

Krdo · · 660 words · By Paige Reynolds
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What to know about KRDO13 Investigates: Former Palmer Ridge High School head wrestling coach arrested on child sex crime

KRDO13 Investigates: Former Palmer Ridge High School head wrestling coach arrested on child sex crime EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

KRDO13 Investigates: Former Palmer Ridge High School head wrestling coach arrested on child sex crime EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.

Why it matters

(KRDO) - Former Palmer Ridge High School head wrestling coach Michael Shane Vassar is in the El Paso County jail, facing one charge of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.

Common ground

According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO), detectives were informed of a possible sexual assault involving an adult in a position of trust and a minor.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/2026/09/25/former-palmer-ridge-high-school-head-wrestling-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 3
verified Verified By Reference 2
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “Mr. Vassar served as the boys and girls head wrestling coach at PRHS from Dec. 1, 2025–May 12, 2026.”
CORROBORATED
Two sources mention the specific dates of his tenure as head wrestling coach (Dec 1 to May 12), although one source contains a likely typo stating 'Dec 1, 2026 through May 12, 2026', while another says 'Dec 1, 2025 to May 12, 2026'.
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web search NEUTRAL — A district spokesperson released a statement to KOAA that said Vassar served as the boys and girls head wrestling coach at PRHS from Dec. 1, 2026 through May 12, 2026 and he is not currently employed.
https://www.koaa.com/news/local-news/ex-palmer-ridge-coach-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — Vassar is fueled by an abundant energy, a creative force, a curious spirit, propelling our pursuits, hobbies, studies, and artistic endeavors. As we feed off one another’s energy, we further ignite ou…
https://www.vassar.edu/
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web search NEUTRAL — High school Exam Study Vlog | prepping for APs, intense studying, writing papers, cramming sessionsDiane Joung22K views • 2 years agoLivePlaylist ()Mix (50+). 12:10.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaMr4uNNbmw
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Claim 2: “Former Palmer Ridge High School head wrestling coach Michael Shane Vassar is in the El Paso County jail, facing one charge of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that Michael Shane Vassar, a former head wrestling coach at Palmer Ridge High School, was arrested and charged with sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust in El Paso County.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable non-political figures and organizations that endorsed the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kamala_Harris_2024_pre…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is an alphabetical list of country music performers. It includes artists who played country music at some point in their career, even if they were not exclusively country music performers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_country_music_performe…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sony Music Nashville is the country music branch of the Sony Music Group. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Sony Music Nashville includes its three country recording labels Arista Nashville, Columbia N…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Music_Nashville
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “He is not a current employee of Lewis-Palmer School District 38.”
VERIFIED
A district spokesperson explicitly stated to KOAA that Vassar 'is not currently employed' by the district.
verified
Claim 4: “Vassar has been associated with Crunch Fitness on 1801 South Academy Blvd. and Unbreakable Ministries Gym on 124 Delaware Drive, private sporting and athletic clubs in the Pikes Peak area, and has offered personal training services online.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results about a Michael Jackson movie and MIT housing; no evidence regarding Crunch Fitness or Unbreakable Ministries Gym was found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), students are housed in eleven undergraduate dormitories and eight graduate dormitories. All undergraduate students are required to live in an MIT re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_at_the_Massachusetts_I…
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web search NEUTRAL — Michael is a 2026 biographical film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan. It follows the early life of the American singer Michael Jackson, from his time with the Jackson 5 in the 1960s…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(2026_film)
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web search NEUTRAL — Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop ", he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson
+ 1 more evidence source
info
Claim 5: “He is scheduled to appear virtually in court for a status conference hearing on Friday, Sept. 25, at 10:00 a.m.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence contains general information about virtual courts and a futurist named Michael Vassar, but does not confirm a specific court date for the coach Michael Vassar.
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web search NEUTRAL — Virtual court enables online adjudication of cases. On pilot basis, the system is being used for traffic and transport challans. The system automatically consumes challans from the eChallan system and…
https://vcourts.gov.in/
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web search NEUTRAL — Vassar advocates safe development of new technologies for the benefit of humankind. He has co-authored papers on the risks of advanced molecular manufacturing with Robert Freitas, and has written the …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsKsBualNT8
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web search NEUTRAL — Vassar is fueled by an abundant energy, a creative force, a curious spirit, propelling our pursuits, hobbies, studies, and artistic endeavors. As we feed off one another’s energy, we further ignite ou…
https://www.vassar.edu/
info
Claim 6: “Vassar was arrested on Sept. 24 and charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, according to EPSO.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the charge is corroborated, the specific arrest date of September 24 is not explicitly confirmed across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence; one source mentions an arrest in September 2026, but the specific date is not widely corroborated.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is an American private foundation set up in 1999 by Michael Dell, founder of Dell Inc., and his wife, Susan Dell. The foundation has been supported primarily throug…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_&_Susan_Dell_Foundatio…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Specter (born 1955) is an American journalist who has been a staff writer, focusing on science, technology, and global public health at The New Yorker since September 1998. He has also written…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Specter
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Vassar College ( VASS-ər) is a private liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of hi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vassar_College
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “37-year-old Michael Vassar, a former athletic coach at Palmer Ridge High School in Lewis-Palmer School District 38, engaged in inappropriate conduct involving one or more athletes he coached.”
CORROBORATED
Independent sources confirm Vassar's age (37), his role as a former athletic coach at Palmer Ridge High School, and the school's location within Lewis-Palmer School District 38.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable non-political figures and organizations that endorsed the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kamala_Harris_2024_pre…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of observatory codes (IAU codes or MPC codes) published by the Minor Planet Center. For a detailed description, see observations of small Solar System bodies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_observatory_codes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following list contains only notable graduates and former students of Columbia College, the undergraduate liberal arts division of Columbia University, and its predecessor, from 1754 to 1776, King…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Columbia_College_peopl…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 8: “A district court case against Vassar was filed Tuesday, Sept. 22.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results regarding the Virunga National Park in 2026; no evidence regarding a court case filing on September 22 was found.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 17, 2026 · Les signataires affirment avoir appris, à travers un communiqué publié le 16 juillet 2026, par l'administration du Parc national des Virunga, que les candidats de Goma, Rutshuru, Nyirag…
https://www.opinion-info.cd/societe/2026/07/17/recrutement-d…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 18, 2026 · Par Gloire Balolage La clarification des limites légales du parc national des Virunga dans le territoire et la ville de Beni connaît une avancée importante. Après près d'une année de tr…
https://www.opinion-info.cd/societe/2026/07/18/parc-national…
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web search NEUTRAL — Virunga compte actuellement 770+ gardes forestiers, hommes et femmes, qui protègent activement le Parc et les communautés locales.
https://virunga.org/fr/alliance/virunga-rangers/
verified
Claim 9: “investigators discovered more than 6,000 text messages between Vassar and the student victim from Palmer Ridge High School.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results about Vassar College and a futurist named Michael Vassar; no evidence regarding 6,000 text messages was found in the search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Widely regarded by peers and critics as the greatest actress of her generation, and by many with the affectionate epitaph "Great…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meryl_Streep
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American Marxist feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, and author. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and Histo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable non-political figures and organizations that endorsed the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kamala_Harris_2024_pre…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.