Charter school teacher arrested for sexual exploitation of a child

COLORADO SPRINGS – A local charter school teacher was arrested Thursday evening after allegedly arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl.

Colorado Springs Police say they were contacted by the mother of the 14-year-old girl, alerting them that her daughter had been distributing pornographic images of herself online. Additionally, the mother reported, she had discovered her daughter was having online sexually-related conversations with numerous men.

Investigators determined one of the suspects was a local man, 45-year-old Randal Albert Gomas, a teacher at the James Irwin Charter School, located at 1602 South Murray Blvd. in Colorado Springs.

Police say Gomas had previously discussed meeting with the 14-year-old girl in person, and a meeting was arranged by police for Thursday evening in the Stetson Hills area.

Gomas was contacted and arrested at the organized meeting place and was booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, enticement of a child, attempted sexual assault on a child without force and Internet luring, according to authorities.

Investigators say Gomas was communicating with the girl from both his home computer and a computer at the James Irwin Charter School. They say it was also determined that the 14-year-old was not hiding her age from Gomas.

Police say investigations have been opened and referrals were sent out to Minnesota, Alaska and Illinois, following the investigation in Colorado Springs.