The Daily Record; Canon City, Utah

                                                                     Vic Vela

The Royal Gorge Academy official facing a felony false imprisonment charge as well as assault and reckless endangerment allegations will have to wait a while to find out if additional counts will be filed.

Meanwhile, an affidavit indicates Academy staff members interviewed by investigators offer
different takes on the official's actions.

Randall Hinton of Cañon City, 32, appeared in Fremont County District Court Jan. 24,
his second appearance since being arrested Jan. 9 following a Cañon City Police Department
investigation that originated in December.

Hinton is project supervisor for the Academy, a school for troubled teenagers.

Judge David Thorson granted Deputy District Attorney Thom LeDoux additional time today
to file new charges, if any, against Hinton. Hinton's attorney, Michael Gillick, said LeDoux
was “swamped” and that he had no issue with the continuance.

An affidavit indicates the CCPD investigation that began Dec. 30 of last year was prompted
by a complaint by Patty Pacheco, an executive secretary at the school, who said “she cannot
deal with the way the students are treated by Hinton any longer,” according to a report by an investigating officer who interviewed her.

The affidavit reads the secretary told the initial investigating officer that a new, 17-year female student, who had run away from the school on just her second day before being returned the following day, was made to “lie face down on the floor, arms to her side and palms up for hours” as punishment.

Pacheco indicated the girl was having her period at the time she was on the ground, according to the officer.

The affidavit reads the girl “wanted to change her pants, and Hinton told her no.”

However, Gillick said following today's hearing that another employee, Holly Simpson, a former police officer, said the girl was able to use the restroom, and Simpson accompanied her on restroom visits.

Gillick also contends staff members interviewed by police were “not present during the entire incident.”