Staff Report
WALSENBURG- He’s back and he’s not alone. There are 16 adult sexually violent predators (SVP) and one juvenile SVP registered and living in Walsenburg. Frank Gallegos is one of them. Gallegos is also one of 10,966 registered SVPs living in Colorado in 2010.
According to police documents, Gallegos was convicted of an attempted sexual assault on a child in 2003. He served three years in prison following his conviction in 2004. He was released from prison and placed on parole in May 2007.
Gallegos lived in Pueblo while on parole. He was released from that status recently and moved back to Walsenburg where he registered with the Walsenburg Police Department on June 23. He currently resides at 420 Ysidrio in Walsenburg.
The conviction stemmed from a party where he supplied underaged females with alcohol and other drugs and then began sexually assaulting them as part of a gang initiation. Gallegos is a member of the Los Carnales, East Side Dukes and the Surenos 13 street gangs. He was also convicted of witness tampering in the case.
In a public notification meeting held at the Spanish Peaks Library on June 28, Interim Police Chief James Chamberlain, Deputy District Attorney Geoff Wasson and Walsenburg Police Lieutenant John Rodriguez informed members of the public who were in attendance about Gallegos. The meeting was held in accordance with Colorado statutes.
According to Sande Hawley-Grano, who is program director for rural areas at the Spanish Peaks Mental Health Center, most sexual predators have been abused. “In the case of Gallegos, as with many other sexually violent predators, there was real physical abuse, violence that puts people on this kind of path…. This is not a mental illness such as paranoia or schizophrenia or even depression. And it cannot be cured.”
Ninety percent of predators are male and heterosexual. They may act out their sexual fantasies an average of 850 times in their lifetime. And each time the predator returns to the same fantasy with the same modus operandi.
Many known predators are restricted and must stay away from places where likely victims may be, such as schools or parks. However Gallegos has not been placed on any restrictions. And like Gallegos, many SVPs have to stay registered with local and state police for the rest of their lives.
During the course of the meeting it was pointed out that the public notification is to enhance public safety and protection. Any harassment, threats or intimidations directed toward offenders, their significant others or the community notification team is criminal behavior.
Here is an partial list of sites that will help concerned residents in Walsenburg access the list of registered sex offenders.
The Denver Post maintains a list that was last updated on June 28. Go to denverpost.com. Scroll down to the bottom of the home page and find the data center. Click the line item labeled Colorado Sex Offenders. When the locate page appears, scroll to the zip code box and enter the zip code and indicate a number of miles around the zip code and click search. This site lists all of the sex offenders registered in the 81089 area.
This article states that there are 16 sexually violent predators registered in Walsenburg. The Denver Post site lists a total of 26 sexual offenders residing within five miles of the 81089 area. This number includes the violent offenders.
Another site is the State of Colorado site found at sor.state.co.us. To find the offenders, a first and last name is needed. The Denver Post lists the offenders’ names which can then be used to get into the state’s registry.
Citizens may also call the Walsenburg Police Department at 738-1056. Lieutenant John Rodriguez is the officer to contact with questions. For Huerfano County, concerned parties can call the Sheriff’s office at 738-1600.
