PUEBLO COUNTY — A Pueblo West man was arrested for child abuse Monday, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office says 35-year-old Ulysses Kropf-Castillo was arrested for the incident involving his seven-year-old child, whose name will not be released.
In May of 2023, Governor Jared Polis signed "Riley's Law" or SB 23-075, into Colorado law. The law is designed to protect the identities of underage crime victims.
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According to the sheriff's office, School Resource Officers (SROs) at an elementary school in Pueblo County School District 70 received a report from an employee regarding the alleged incident. The name of the school was not released.
SROs investigated and found the child had visible injuries, which were reportedly inflicted by Kropf-Castillo. The child was taken to a hospital for treatment, but has since been released to a parent.
Kropf-Castillo was booked into the Pueblo County Jail, according to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office says this was their third arrest in five days for a child abuse incident. On March 6, the sheriff's office says they arrested two people in connection to the abuse of a six-year-old. Staff at another District 70 elementary school notified the sheriff's office of this incident.
District 70 Superintendent Ronda Rein released the following statement regarding this incident:
"Pueblo County School District 70 takes all reports of child abuse seriously. The safety and wellbeing of our students are our highest priorities. As mandated reporters, all employees are required to report suspected abuse or neglect in accordance with Colorado law. The district remains committed to protecting students and working with the proper authorities to ensure their safety."
Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero also released a statement, which you can read below:
“These are very disturbing and unfortunate incidents involving the abuse of children in our community. I appreciate and commend the school resource officers and the school staff for their work on these very difficult cases. These types of incidents are never easy.
Furthermore, I want to remind people if they are stressed or struggling to call for help and reach out
to resources in the community to avoid getting into an abusive situation.”
If you are concerned about a child's wellbeing or see evidence of child abuse, you are asked to call any of the following non-emergent numbers:
- Pueblo County Sheriff's Office: (719)583-6250
- Pueblo Police Department: (719)553-2502
- Pueblo 24 Hour Reporting Line: (719)583-6901
- Colorado Abuse Reporting Line: 1-844-264-5437
If the injuries are life-threatening, you are asked to call 9-1-1.
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