A former Calhan mayor faces a sentence of up to life in prison after pleading guilty Monday to sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 15.

John F. Cullyford, 70, entered the plea to a charge of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

Cullyford faces a minimum of four to 32 years in prison and a maximum indeterminate life sentence when 4th Judicial District Judge Thomas Kennedy sentences him on June 13.

“I touched (the victim’s) private parts,” Cullyford said when Kennedy asked the defendant what he had done.

The Gazette, which normally does not identify sex assault victims, is withholding the victim’s name.

Cullyford served as mayor of the eastern El Paso County town in 2001 but was recalled by voters in 2002 for issues unrelated to the criminal investigation, according to Calhan Police Chief Buddy Johnson.

Calhan police arrested Cullyford in December. On Dec. 30, Cullyford’s wife of 21 years obtained a permanent restraining order against him, stating she feared for her safety because she had assisted police with the investigation.

According to a police affidavit, the victim told police that Cullyford had repeatedly assaulted her, starting with an incident in Phoenix in 1997 when she was 7 years old. The assaults continued after he moved to Calhan in 2001 and ended about 2006, she told police.

In 2006, Calhan police investigated Cullyford on allegations that he molested another young girl in the hot tub at his home, according to the affidavit. However police were not able until the earlier case surfaced to find enough evidence to file charges, Johnson said.

With help from Colorado Springs police, Calhan police arranged to have the victim call Cullyford and confront him while they tape-recorded the conversation.

Cullyford quickly grew suspicious during the 6 minute 38 second phone call and described what happened between them as “water under the bridge.”

“You know how to fix this problem,” the affidavit quoted him as saying. “Go to the local gun store and buy a gun and some bullets and come over here and fix it.”

Johnson said the tape-recording gave police enough evidence to charge Johnson with sexually assaulting both girls. Under an agreement with prosecutors that did not limit his sentence, Cullyford pleaded guilty to molesting one of the girls.

For more court coverage, visit “The Sidebar” blog at gazettedev.gazette.com

John Cullyford Photo by Courtesy of Colorado Springs Police Department