Noticias

Brandon Baker is facing federal charges of sexual exploitation of a child.

Baker, a former preschool teacher in Telluride, was indicted Tuesday, Feb. 24, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office states: “The indictment alleges that, over the course of several years, Baker used or attempted to use a minor to produce visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct, transported a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in sexual activity, and received, transported and possessed child pornography.”

Baker was charged with nine counts, including one count of sexual exploitation of a child; two counts of transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; one count of receipt of child pornography; one count of transportation of child pornography; and four counts of possession of child pornography.

Baker is being held in Iowa without bond.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized the charges are “merely an accusation,” and Baker is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

On Jan. 30, 2026, a special agent with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations filed a criminal complaint alleging Baker engaged in the sexual exploitation of a child in Iowa in 2013.

The complaint recounts that in 2024, Baker was questioned by the Telluride Marshal’s Department following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after an image on Baker’s computer was flagged as child sexual abuse material.

Marshal’s deputies executed a search warrant and seized several items from Baker’s home, including an SD card for a digital camera.

The complaint states that following a forensic review of the items, multiple images of child pornography were found on the SD card from November 2013.

Law enforcement identified a boy in the images. The special agent interviewed the boy, who confirmed he had a sexual relationship with Baker when he was a minor.

Prior to the federal charges, Baker was arrested in Jan. 2026 for sexual exploitation of a minor in South Carolina, where he had been working as a teacher at a preschool.

On Thursday, the Telluride Marshal’s Department issued a statement saying it is aware of the federal charges and has been, and continues to, cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies in an active, multijurisdictional investigation. Because the investigation is ongoing, the town said it will not provide additional details at this time.

The statement adds that anyone with information related to the charges or who believes they may have relevant information to the ongoing investigation in Colorado and Iowa is encouraged to contact Telluride Chief Marshal Josh Comte at [email protected] or by calling 970-728-8448.

The town also encourages anyone in need to contact local resources such as the San Miguel Resource Center, the Telluride Medical Center, or dial 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Baker is due to appear for an arraignment hearing in U.S. District Court in Iowa on Friday, March 6.

If convicted of the alleged charges, Baker faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.