Investigates

MORRISON, Colo. (CBS4) ― The president of a Christian School in Morrison says he wasn't trying to mislead parents when he told them a recent sex scandal was the first of its kind for the school.

A CBS4 investigation found a second, troubling case at Silver State Christian School in 1992.

The most recent principal at the school, Daniel Brock, is currently facing criminal sex charges in Jefferson County for allegedly fondling two male students. He was fired on May 31.

At a meeting to address the Brock situation May 28, school president Dr. Les Heinze told parents, "We've been operating the school over 50 years and we've not had an incident like this," referring to the Brock criminal case. The comment was tape recorded and aired in an earlier CBS4 investigation.

However CBS4 has since learned that in 1992 a maintenance man hired by Silver State sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl and her 8-year-old sister at the school, landing the man a 32 year prison sentence.

Silver State hired Bennie Bellino even though he was on probation for previous sex assaults on children. Police at the time said the school never did a background check on Bellino. Once at the school, Bellino lured the two sisters down a hallway and into a dark room where a Lakewood police investigator said Bellino "did God awful things to them."

"He was like a wild man in a candy store," said investigator Mike Harris.

Bellino pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sex assault and has been incarcerated in Colorado prisons ever since.

Heinze was the pastor at the school in 1992.

Several parents of Silver State students contacted by CBS4 said they now believe Heinze was attempting to mislead parents during the May 28 meeting by claiming nothing like this had ever happened before. The parents asked their names not be used for fear of reprisals against their children.

Heinze refused to speak to CBS4 about his recent comments, but a school spokesperson, Krista Nash, released a statement saying, "Dr. Heinze could have been more specific when he stated, 'We've been operating the school over 50 years and we've not had an incident like this.' Dr. Heinze intended to communicate that this was the first time that an individual in a leadership position with the school was alleged to be responsible for such an incident."

Regarding the 1992 incident, the family of the two girls who were sexually abused at the school accused church administrators of trying to cover up the abuse and to protect Bennie Bellino at the expense of protecting children.

School Statement

The following is the complete statement released to CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass Tuesday by Silver State Christian School regarding Dr. Les Heinze's recent public statements:

Brian,

The safety of the students at Silver State Christian School has always been and continues to be our highest priority. The school has strong policies in place to protect our students and takes swift action when those policies are violated.

The same swift action that was taken with regard to the recent alleged incident involving Mr. Brock was also applied in the 1992 incident (not 1993 per your email) you referenced in your email. Although we would like to clarify the information in your email on this matter, we are bound by a Confidentiality Agreement that prohibits us from doing so. The school administration fully cooperated with the authorities.

Although you did not ask us about any other incidents, we will also share that the school administration also moved quickly in 2002, when a school bus driver on staff assaulted a male high school student during a school outing. Within minutes of the assault, the student called his parents and sought out another staff member who was accompanying the group. The bus driver was terminated. Criminal authorities were called in to investigate the incident. The man was found guilty, sentenced and served jail time.

During a private meeting for Silver State Christian School parents held on May 28, 2009, Dr. Heinze could have been more specific when he stated, "We've been operating the school over 50 years and we've not had an incident like this." Dr. Heinze intended to communicate that this was the first time that an individual in a leadership position with the school was alleged to be responsible for such an incident.

We deeply regret that these incidents occurred even with strong policies in place. The safety of our students at Silver State Christian School has always been and continues to be the highest priority.

Krista Nash
Silver State Christian School Spokesperson

Additional Resources

View the Daniel Brock arrest warrant affidavit. Information identifying alleged victims has been redacted by the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office. The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office is asking anyone with additional information on the case to call Investigator Dave Lynn at (303) 271-6800.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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